Oil thieves reportedly caused a fiery explosion at the Port Harcourt Refinery in Okrika, Rivers, causing loss of life to at least seven persons, and injuring many others.
Reports of vandals tampering with pipelines with intention to siphon petroleum products led to a huge explosion.
Chairman of Okrika Local Government Area, Mr. Tamuno Williams has indicted the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) of negligence and criminal involvement in the disaster. PPMC is a subsidiary of NNPC.
He said, “Such activities, such connection, such highly technical work, well constructed by experts, could not have been perfectly done without the connivance of the PPMC.
“If you want to take any product and sell, I don’t have any problem with that. My quarrel is that their negligence is detrimental to the environment of Okrika.
“There was an explosion today (Sunday) because of the activities of the NNPC and their cohorts. That is the truth of the matter. Who did it, I don’t know. Who was there to watch over it, I don’t know. But I went there with the press; I was refused entry into the facility. So, what was there to hide?
“As you can see, there is no management staff of the NNPC or persons you can say are in charge of the corporation’s operations here. The gates of the NNPC remain closed to visitors. So, we have not seen anybody that we can officially complain to.
“From what I have been told, there are casualties. Seven persons were said to have lost their lives. When in Nigeria, you hear that seven persons died, it could be seven times seven times seven.”