News

Vehicles Razed, Several Killed As Illegal Refinery Explodes in Imo, Police Order Probe

Published

4 years ago

April 24, 2022

Eric

No fewer than 100 people were killed on Friday night after an illegal refinery went up in flames at Abaezi community in the Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.

Also, six vehicles were razed during the incident which threw the community into mourning.

Hundreds of people, Sunday PUNCH observed, visited the scene of the incident on Saturday to have a glimpse of the unfortunate development.

Our correspondent counted no fewer than 50 bodies burnt beyond recognition at the scene of the fire explosion, which was said to have happened at about 8pm.

The state Commissioner for Petroleum Resources, Goodluck Opiah, told our correspondent at the crime scene that the state government had declared the owner of the illegal refinery, Okenze Onyenwoke, wanted.

He advised the suspect whom he said was on the run to surrender himself at the nearest police station.

The Commissioner said, “This is a sad development. The Imo State Government has declared wanted Okenze Onyenwoke, who owns this illegal refinery. I advise him to hand himself over to the police or any security agency.

“This is wickedness; this is an economic sabotage. It is also destroying our youths. I therefore call on the youths to go away from this kind of illegitimate business. There are so many legitimate businesses one could do to make genuine money.”

An Indigene of the community, who identified himself simply as Ejike, told Sunday PUNCH that every person at the illegal refinery site was killed in the explosion, adding that over 100 people lost their lives in the incident.

Ejike added that those who survived the explosion and were rushed to the hospital died on Saturday morning.

“No single person survived. Those who were rescued yesterday have all died this morning. The casualty figure is over 100. This is sad. People are rushing to look for their relations but the unfortunate thing is that the victims were burnt beyond recognition,” Ekije said.

Another indigene of the community, who identified himself as a local security operative, said people came from the South-East and South-South states to buy the illegal product in the community.

He said, “People come from Rivers, Bayelsa, Anambra, Abia states, even from Onitsha, to buy the product. It is a very active bunkering site. People come here in hundreds and the owner is a big man.

“This bunkering is sited right in the forest so that they will have liberty to do the illicit business. People troop from far and near to buy the product.”

A community leader, who refused to mention his name ostensibly to avoid been attacked by the syndicate involved in illegal oil refining in the area, lamented the environmental hazard caused in the communities by the illicit business.

He said, “Our community is in serious trouble. The level of environmental hazard is unbearable. Do you know that our crops are affected by this bunkering business?

“Do you know that our water now has taste as a result of this illegal bunkering? Do you know that even our cassava is affected by this activity? This is a campaign even you the media people have to help us fight. Our health, environment and means of livelihood are endangered.”

Also, the spokesman for a vigilante group in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Godknows Nkem, confirmed the incident to our correspondent.

The incident happened at a location between Abacheke and Abaezi communities.

Videos and pictures of the incident were already awash on the internet.

It was gathered that some of the victims were caught by the fire while they were running and trying to escape.

Unidentified burnt bodies littered the area even as family members were seen moving away the remains of their loved ones.

A community leader and President-General of the Supreme Council of Oil and Gas Producing Areas in Imo, Chief Collins Ajie, described the incident as ‘unfortunate’.

“It is unfortunate. A tragedy no one dreamt of where about 108 people got burnt beyond recognition due to illegal oil bunkering. The state and Federal Governments should step up efforts to stop this illegal bunkering because it has claimed many lives from Ohaji/Egbema and other Niger Delta areas.

“It’s shocking to see these bodies lying down here. Most of them are bread winners of their families. Most of them are young promising people, undergraduates and graduates,” he said.

The community leader noted that the Imo Government had some time ago made efforts to stop this illegal business, but it yielded no fruit.

According to him, some arrests were made, and some trucks and some boats impounded and burnt, yet it had not been able put the situation under control perhaps as a result of the involvement of high calibre individuals involved in the illegal trade.

He advised the state and Federal Governments to step up efforts at ending the illegal business.

“On our way coming, you could count about 34 checkpoints awaiting the illegal bunkerers and traders. So, If we have that figure and this illegal bunkering continued on a daily basis, then they have questions to answer,” he said.

Also speaking, Mr David Chibuike lamented that he was at the site in search of the remains of his elder sister.

“I heard the information about the incident and I had to rush down because my sister, who was married to someone in this community, was involved. I came to identify her body but couldn’t recognize her here,” he said while shedding tears.

He also called on government and security agencies to put an end to the illegal bunkering to prevent such huge loss of lives.

The Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Muhammed Berde, has ordered investigation into the Friday night’s fire outbreak at an illegal refinery located in a forest at Abaezi community in the Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of the state which claimed no fewer than 100 lives.

Speaking to our correspondent in a telephone conversation, the police spokesperson for the Command, Micheal Abattam, told our correspondent that the cause of the fire outbreak had not been ascertained.

He therefore disclosed that the CP had order an investigation for the cause of the inferno be unravelled.

The Punch

News

Five Confirmed Killed, Many Injured As Bomb Explosion Rocks Maiduguri Mosque

Published

6 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Eric

A devastating bomb blast struck a mosque in the Gamboru Market area of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, Wednesday evening, leaving scores of worshippers feared dead and many others injured.

The explosion occurred at the Gambarou Jumu’at Mosque during the Maghrib congregational prayer.

Reports noted that survivors said the attacker sneaked into the mosque and detonated the explosive as worshippers were observing the first raka’at of the prayer.

“The bomber detonated when the first raka’at of the Maghrib prayer was observed. Many worshippers died, others sustained various injuries,” Daily Trust quoted an eyewitness to have said.

As of the time of filing this report, the exact number of casualties and those injured from the attack remained unconfirmed.

However, reports indicated that the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for urgent medical attention.

Security operatives have cordoned off the area, while emergency responders continue rescue and evacuation efforts.

HumAngle, which said its reporter was on the ground in the community, also confirmed the blast.

Efforts to obtain an official response from the police were unsuccessful, as the Borno State Police Public Relations Officer did not pick calls placed to his phone and had yet to respond to text messages sent as of the time of filing this report.

The latest attack adds to a long list of violent incidents linked to insurgency in Borno State. In June 2025, at least 10 people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive at a local food joint in Konduga Local Government Area.

The Borno State Police Command confirmed that the explosion occurred around 10 p.m., with several others sustaining injuries. Police said Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) experts, alongside the military and other security agencies, were deployed to restore order and investigate the attack.

ICIR

News

How Wike Promised to ‘Hold PDP’ to Pave Way for Tinubu’s Reelection – Makinde

Published

2 days ago

December 23, 2025

Eric

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has revealed that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, in a meeting promised to “hold the PDP” to ease President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

“I was in a meeting with President Tinubu, Nyesom Wike, and others when Wike volunteered to hold the PDP for Tinubu against 2027, and I was in shock. Wike can support the president in 2027, but I will not,” Mr Makinde said.

Affirming his loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr Makinde explained that he informed President Tinubu of his inability to work with the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressive Congress.

“I said, no, sir, I can never help you organise the APC in Oyo State because I am of the PDP,” Mr Makinde stated.

The governor noted that the feud between him and the FCT minister stemmed from his refusal to join forces with Mr Wike, despite being in an opposition party, to support President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

He stated, “The real issue is that Wike would like to support the President for 2027. That’s fine. It is within his rights. But some of us want to ensure that democracy survives in Nigeria, and that PDP survives as well. He should allow us to make our own choices.

“I tried to engage him through a mutual friend, but when he did not back off, I confronted him directly. From that day, I made it clear I would never be part of this. Wike can support him, but it is also within my right to decide who I will support or what I will do in 2027. This explains the current conflict within the PDP.

“It is within his right to do that. But also, it is within my own right to decide within the political space who I will support or what I will do in 2027,” Makinde said.

The governor noted that his efforts, alongside others, towards preserving the existence of the Peoples Democratic Party, were to ensure that the country’s political landscape does not become a one-party system.

“Some of us want to ensure that democracy survives in Nigeria, we don’t drift into a one-party state. And we want to ensure that PDP survives. He should also allow us to do our own thing,” Mr Makinde said.

Emphasising on the need for a multi-party system, the governor stated that Mr Tinubu has the constitutional ability to restrain the minister if necessary.

“The President has the power to call his minister to order and allow democracy to survive in Nigeria,” he said.

Commenting on the state of the PDP, Mr Makinde insisted that there was no faction in the party.

He stated, “Where PDP is today, there is no faction. We held a convention here in Ibadan, we gave adequate notice to INEC, which is all that we are required to do under the law.”

Source: PeoplesGazette

News

Six Rivers PDP House of Reps Members Defect to APC

Published

2 days ago

December 23, 2025

Eric

Six members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the house of representatives have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The lawmakers include Dumnamere Dekor (Khana/Gokana federal constituency), Solomon Bob (Abua/Odual and Ahoada east federal constituncy), Hart Cyril (Degema/Bonny federal constituency), Victor Obuzor (Ahoada west/Ogba-Egbema/Ndoni federal constituency), Blessing Amadi (Port Harcourt II federal constituency) and Felix Nweke (Eleme/Oyigbo/Tai federal constituency).

Their defection follows that of Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state, who swapped the PDP for the APC on December 5, 2025.

A week before the governor’s defection, 15 members of the Rivers state house of assembly, including Martin Amaewhule, the speaker, had dumped the PDP for the APC.

Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house, read the letters of the lawmaker’s defection during plenary on Wednesday.

APC national officers, including Victor Gaidam, national vice-chairman (south south), Felix Morka, national spokesperson; Dayo Israel, national youth leader; and Ajibola Basiru, national secretary, witnessed the defection.

After the defection, Abbas invited the lawmakers to the dais for photographs.

Ali Isa protested the defection, asking Abbas to declare their seats vacant.

Kingsley Chinda, the minority leader, kicked against the brief defection ceremony.

He said the ceremony should be expunged from the vote and proceedings of the day’s plenary, noting that no laws require lawmakers to announce their defection on the floor of parliament.

“Go to your ward and defect,” he said.

Abbas declined to rule on the objections.

“Your observations are noted,” he said.

Last week, four Rivers members defected to the APC.

The lawmakers are Umezuruike Manuchim (Port Harcourt I federal constituency), who defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the APC, while Boniface Emerengwa (Ikwerre/Emohua federal constituency), Awaji-Inombek Abiante (Opobo/Nkoro/Andoni federal constituency), and Boma Goodhead (Akuku-Toru/Asari-Toru federal constituency).

With the defection, the PDP now has only three members from Rivers in the house of representatives: Chinda; Kenneth Chikere (Port Harcourt I); and Kelechi Nwogu (Etche/Omuma).