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An explosion suspected to be from illegally refined petroleum products at a residential building in Omoku, headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, has killed four persons.
A community source told Daily Trust that a woman in the building was cooking noodles close to the room storing the illegally refined crude, when fire engulfed the house.
He said the explosion, which occurred on Saturday, killed three occupants of the building and a woman who came to buy the condensate.
Police spokesperson in Rivers State, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident and the casualties, saying an investigation was ongoing.
She said: “What really caused the fire was that a resident brought a cooking stove to the place and was preparing noodles, which ignited the fire.
“She and three other women were burnt beyond recognition and sadly lost their lives, including one of them that came to buy condensate (illegally refined kerosene). Investigation is ongoing.”
Also reacting to the incident, an environmentalist and Executive Director of Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene, warned against pipeline vandalism and illegal refining of crude.
Dumnamene, in a statement made available to newsmen called on the Federal Government to legalise modular refineries in the Niger Delta region to forestall such unfortunate incidents
He alleged that the occupants usually bought illegally refined kerosene and other products, stored them, and resold them to members of the public.
He said: “The inferno is said to have occurred in a house where people purchased and stored illegally refined petroleum products, including condensate, for resale in the area.
“We call for a thorough investigation into the incident and warn residents and youths against involvement in pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, artisanal refineries, and trading in illegally refined petroleum products, including home storage, to avoid ugly incidents of this nature.”
