In the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, an explosion and fire on Friday killed at least 12 people, according to police, however, locals claimed a considerably higher death toll.
According to state police spokesperson Grace Iringe-Koko, the explosion in the Emuoha council area of southern Rivers state occurred along a pipeline that was being used by unauthorized refinery operators to try and steal oil.
She stated, “We are aware that there was an explosion related to bunkering activities,” and added that officials were trying to figure out how many people were hurt and what caused the blast.
Reporters were informed by locals that the fire may have claimed the lives of dozens of individuals. Most of the fatalities were young people who planned to steal oil from a pipeline and carry it in at least five trucks to an illicit refinery facility.
As the bus driver attempted to leave, an explosion was set off by a spark from the exhaust pipe, according to Fyneface Dumnamene, executive director of the Youth and Environmental Advocacy Center.
“Everyone in around five automobiles there was completely burnt,” Dumnamene told reporters.
In Nigeria, one of Africa’s leading oil producers, operating illegal refineries is a lucrative business. In the oil-rich Niger Delta region, where the majority of the country’s oil installations are situated, they are more common.
Such facilities frequently have fires because the employees fail to follow safety procedures, including one in Imo state last year that killed over 100 people.
Between January 2021 and February 2022, Nigeria suffered theft losses of at least $3 billion in crude oil. According to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), shady business owners frequently evade inspectors by establishing refineries in isolated locations like the one in Imo.
