The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed that fifteen persons died in a fire explosion at an illegal oil refining site in Ibaa community, Emohua Local Government Area of the state.
The Command in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko revealed that it received distress information about the tragic fire explosion at Ibaa community, noting that ‘”fifteen individuals, including a pregnant woman, lost their lives in this devastating incident.”
SP Iringe-Koko said an additional twenty persons suffered various degrees of burns.
She said the deaths and injuries were a result of an explosion that occurred in an oil pipeline owned by a major oil company, which had been illegally accessed for crude oil extraction by oil thieves in Ibaa forest.
The police noted that its patrol team from the Rumuji Division promptly arrived at the scene and documented the incident “with photographs, and also facilitated a dignified evacuation of the deceaseds’ for proper burial by their grieving families.”
The statement revealed that victims who sustained burn injuries were immediately taken to nearby medical facilities for treatment.
It added that the Command has initiated a thorough investigation to ascertain the root cause of the pipeline vandalization with the intention of bringing the culprits to justice.
According to the statement, the Commissioner of Police, Nwonyi Emeka, is appealing to parents and guardians to “take responsibility for guiding their children and wards from activities that could disrupt the quest for peaceful and sustainable development throughout the state.”
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