Dennis Naku
Residents living around Okari jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State are reportedly packing dead fish that littered the environment to eat after an explosion rocked a fuel dump.
An eyewitness who disclosed this to newsmen in Port Harcourt on Thursday, said the incident, which left two fishermen dead, affected aquatic life in the area, with many dead fishes seen floating on the river.
Recall that the explosion occurred last Monday after a hose used in offloading Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) at a Port Harcourt Refining Company depot was poorly handled by workers, resulting in a spill.
Following the explosion, the spill found its way into the river, while residents were reported to have scooped and stored the product at different locations.
Our correspondent gathered that two fishermen who had gone to fish later that evening triggered the explosion with the lanterns they went with
According to the eyewitness, “It happened close to NAFCON bridge. Two people died and they were two fishermen that went fishing. One of them carried a lantern that started the fire. There was large sound and fire everywhere. Even the river and boat were burnt.
“The following morning, when I passed the place, people were catching fish from the river. Some picked up to 20, 30, and so on, dried it, and started selling them.”
The initial report has it that 16 people died in the explosion, but the Chairman of Okrika LGA, Akuro Tobin, while confirming the incident to our reporter on the telephone, said only four fatalities were recorded.
Tobin said the incident happened when the victims tried to scoop petrol and described it as unfortunate.
He stated, “It is very unfortunate and I don’t like discussing this issue. They went there to steal oil and the government has been warning against this.
“None of their parents sent them to go and steal oil. They went there on their own. The Government has been telling people every day to stop stealing oil, that oil theft is bad. Now four people have died. I am not happy and I don’t like talking about it.”
Meanwhile, other relevant government agencies including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have been silent over the incident.
An environmental rights advocate and Executive Director of Youths and Environmental Advocate Centre, Fyneface Dumnamene, expressed sadness over the loss of lives and called for an investigation into the explosion
He said, “We are more concerned about the people that died and the environmental impact of the incident.
“If there was a spillage of PMS into the environment, it has damaged the aquatic system. It has affected fish in the river. It has affected the sources of livelihood of farmers in the area.
“It is important for the authorities, the NNPC, and the Refining Company to come forward and speak about what has happened so that they can carry out environmental cleanup, and be able to determine what has caused the incident and then prevent future occurrences.”
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