POLICE COMFIRMS 4 DEAD FROM THE NEMBE JETTY FIRE OUTBREAK IN RIVERS
Nnamdi Omoni, Spokesperson for The Rivers State Police Command has comfirmed that four persons died in the fire incident at the Nembe jetty on Monday.
The fire outbreak at the Nembe Waterside jetty occurred barely twenty four hours after a similar explosion rocked an illegal oil dumpsite at Rumuokoro, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Port-Harcourt in Rivets State.
The Nembe/Bonny/Bille jetty inferno raged on for close to twenty fours hours on six market boats with passengers trapped in them.
Local sources told newsmen that the boats were loading and offloading at the jetty when the fire erupted.
The boats were said to be heavily loaded with illegally refined petroleum products, which is a common practice in that ambience.
Nnamdi stated that the bodies were burnt beyond recognition. He also said the Commissioner of Police has set up a Task Force to monitor illegal oil refining business in the State. He urged the public to report operations of illegal refiners in the State.
Recall that another fire incident at an illegal bunkering at Isiokpu Street, D/line in Port Harcourt City Council Area of Rivers State had destroyed property worth millions of naira a couple of day prior to the jetty incident.
Illegal refining activities, known in local parlance as "Kpo fire" is common in the creeks around Port-Harcourt in particular and Rivers State in general.
These products are also commonly stored in unapproved places, thereby putting innocent people in grave danger.
Some residents have also accused Security Forces of either not doing enough to stop these llegal activities in some cases or outrightly conniving with the bunkerers and refiners in exchange for filthy lucre.
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