- The bunker site was on the border between Rivers and Imo states
- Illegal refining in the Niger Delta fueled by unemployment and poverty
- The blast comes after the Rivers State Governor’s recent action
YENAGAO, Nigeria, April 23 – More than 100 people were killed overnight in an explosion at an illegal oil refinery depot on the border of Nigeria’s rivers and Imo States, a local government official and an environmental group said on Saturday.
“The fire broke out at an illegal bunker site and affected over 100 people who were burned beyond recognition,” said State Petroleum Resources Commissioner Goodluck Opiah.
The bunker site was located in the Ohaji-Egbema Municipal Government area of Imo State in the Abaezi Forest, which straddles the two-state border.
Unemployment and poverty in the oil-producing Niger Delta have made illegal crude oil refining an attractive business with deadly consequences. Crude oil is extracted from a network of pipelines owned by major oil companies and processed into products in makeshift tanks.
The hazardous process has resulted in many fatal accidents and polluted a region already ravaged by oil spills on farmlands, streams and lagoons.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Center said several vehicles waiting in line to buy illegal fuel were burned in the blast.
The location of the border comes in response to a recent crackdown by the Rivers state governor on illegal refineries to reduce worsening air pollution. Continue reading
“The Governor of Rivers State has recently made a push to eradicate illegal refining in Rivers, requiring it to be shifted to the border and neighboring states. There have been several raids over the last month or two and some security agents involved have been attacked,” said Ledum Mitee, former president of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP).
At least 25 people, including some children, were killed in an explosion and fire at another illegal refinery in Rivers state in October. Continue reading
In February, local authorities said they had launched a raid to try to stop refining of stolen crude oil, but with little apparent success. Continue reading
Government officials estimate that Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer and exporter, loses an average of 200,000 barrels of oil per day — more than 10% of production — to pipeline tapping or vandalism.
This has forced oil companies to regularly declare force majeure on oil and gas exports.
Additional reporting by Julia Payne in Lagos, writing by Julia Payne and MacDonald Dzirutwe, editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Ros Russell