At least five persons lost their lives in an explosion in a
residential area in Omoku, headquarters of the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government
of Rivers State, on Saturday.
Fyneface Dumnamene, an environmentalist and executive
director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, confirmed the
incident in a statement on Saturday.
It was gathered that the blast was said to have occurred in
one of the rooms in a residential area used for storing illegally refined
petroleum products.
According to Dumnamene, the occupants of the residence where
the explosion occurred usually buy illegally refined kerosene and other
products, store them, and resell them to members of the public.
The statement partly reads, “The incident occurred in the
late hours of Saturday, April 26, by about 11 am, killing five persons, four
females and one male, burnt beyond recognition.”
The Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, also
confirmed the incident and casualties.
She explained the cause of the explosion.
According to her, “What really caused the fire was that a
resident brought a cooking stove to the place and was preparing noodles, which
ignited the fire.
Recall that in March two explosions rocked Rivers State.
The first explosion was at the Trans-Niger Pipeline at Bodo,
Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State. The second was at a pipeline
manifold in the Omwawriwa community, Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of
Rivers State.
Thereafter, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared a state of
emergency in Rivers, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and appointed
retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as administrator on March 18, 2025.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
