Edith CHUKU
Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre YEAC-Nigeria, has expressed concern towards the families of the fishermen and others who were killed following an explosion allegedly caused by a lantern, in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Recall that in the wee hours of July 31, an explosion occurred at the LGA. Report has it that two fishermen and some others were killed.
Igbo Leaders, Not IPOB, Responsible for Insecurity in S/East, Says Youth Group
YEAC-Nigeria has charged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company NNPC, and the vessel owners to as a matter of urgency, adequately compensate families of the victims that lost their lives in the incident, with special emphasis on the two fishermen.
The Executive Director, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, who made this call also appealed for a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion.
In a release made available to TNN, titled, “Okrika Explosion: YEAC-Nigeria calls for thorough investigation, compensation for families of fishermen killed”, Fyneface explained that, “Reports of the incident according to community members who spoke with YEAC-Nigeria’s team had it that a vessel conveying imported premium motor spirit (PMS) at Okari jetty was discharging the product to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company’s Ltd (NNPCL) storage tanks at the Port Harcourt Refinery through the surface pipelines visible to anyone entering Okrika Local Government Area.
Residents Flay Indiscriminate Parking Of Trucks On Eneka-Igwuruta Road
“It was then reported that the high pumping pressure from the vessel pulled out the valve on the pipe’s mouth due to improper tightening/connection by the dock workers leading to the spilling of thousands of litters of PMS into the environment lasting for many hours before they realized and stopped the pumping from the vessel.
“It was gathered that before it was stopped, the PMS have spread everywhere around the area on the water and even upto NAFCON Creek near Onne in Eleme Local Government Area that share common boundary with Okrika.”
After Invasion, Sea-Side Calm Returns in Nembe as Natives Count Losses • Govt Challenges IGP
He continued that, “news about the PMS in the environment quickly spread among the local people and the scooping of the product into containers started. Some scooped, sold and returned to scoop again while those who didn’t immediately find buyers stored the product at home and at nearby burial ground where no one steals whatever is kept there.
“It is further reported that by the night of July 31st/August 1, PMS then caught fire from the lanterns of two fishermen who were going about their lawful fishing activities on the river, causing the explosion and killing both of them as the first set of casualties. While the actual total casualty figures are unknown, unverified reports has it that 16 persons including the fishermen and two others chocked by PMS under the pipeline also died.
“The explosion, heat from it and the poisonous PMS, to tell you of the magnitude of the incident, also killed many fishes in the big river body that started floating and as poisonous as these fishes could be, some community people who could not resist the sizes of some of the fishes that died are said to have allegedly picked, cooked and eaten them.”
Fyneface said, “The alleged picking and eating of the dead fishes is another episode of possible diseases and epidemic “explosion” waiting to happen in Okrika and its environs for those who eat the unsafe fishes if steps are not taken to address the health implications.
“It is against these backgrounds that Advocacy Centre calls for thorough investigation into the cause of the July 31 incident, explosion and deaths in Okrika and adequate compensation paid to the families of the affected fishermen who were going about their lawful livelihood activities but killed from the negligence of the dock workers, vessel owners and NNPCL spills leading to the explosion.”
