.As NOSDRA blames raging Rivers’ oil spill fire on vandals, call for urgent repair of NNPCL leaked well-head
Emmanuel Nlewedum, Port Harcourt with agency reports
The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA),Abdullahi Baba-Arah, has said 98 people lost their lives while 69 others were seriously injured the tragic tanker explosion that occurred in Diko community, Niger State.
Baba-Arah disclosed this while giving an update on the tanker fire incident which occurred on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
He also said 20 shops were completely burnt, causing significant losses to business owners in the area.
He stated that rescue operation is still ongoing were still ongoing, while emergency responders are working tirelessly to ensure that the injured receive medical attention.
Baba-Arah described the incident as a catastrophic tragedy that has thrown the state into mourning.
“We are deeply saddened by this unfortunate incident.
“The state government and NSEMA are committed to supporting the victims and ensuring that those injured get the care they need,” the statement said.
.As NOSDRA blames raging Rivers’ oil spill fire on vandals, call for urgent repair of NNPCL leaked well-head
The Director-General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Engr. Chukwuemeka Woke has blamed the raging fire caused by crude oil in Bukuma community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State on activities of suspected pipeline vandals who attempted to illegally tap into the well-head in the area.
The OML Well 8, where the fire allegedly emanated from is being operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in Bukuma.
The NOSDRA D-G, Engr. Woke who spoke when he led a technical team to evaluate the level of damage caused by the fire which has been burning for almost two weeks now, at the weekend, sympathized with the people and lamented the destruction of the community’s farmlands, aquatic life, as well as contamination of their water.
The NOSDRA Boss, called for immediate repair of the leaking well-head, and assured the community that the agency will collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the situation is immediately brought under control.
He said, “I am here to see for myself, the report of the fire outbreak we recieved from our Port Harcourt office about the incident here in Bukuma community which was attributed to excessive gas release.
“From the preliminary investigation of the JIV, it is a case of suspected pipeline vandalism because we have seen evidence from the preliminary reports of two hoses connected to the manifold being used for illegal activities.
“That is enough evidence that some people were doing some illegal business, but we are still on investigation, after which we would issue a final report.
“As the National Incident Commander, my primary concern is to detect where there is a spill and respond accordingly. It is my responsibility to mobilize all the relevant stakeholders as we leave here.
“We are going to have a meeting of all the stakeholders and I can assure you that all hands would be on deck to fasttrack the process of putting off the fire and after that, we begin the process of clean up and remediation of the environment.”
Woke also assured that the agency will work with other stakeholders to provide relief materials to residents of the affected community, and also ensure that their welfare was promoted.
“We have seen the situation and we are in touch with NNPCL, the operators of this facility. We have also seen the level of pollution and devastation here, as you can see, their means of livelihood has been affected. It is for us to arrest the fire and rescue the community from further losses, and we are certain that the situation is under control and also finding a way of compensation for the community effected,” he said.