By Ugochukwu Alaribe

ABA— THE death toll from last Friday Osisioma fuel pipeline explosion has risen to 200, even as protesting youths from the host communities of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, depot, yesterday, shut operation at the facility over the incident.



The youths, numbering 2,000, who barricaded the gate of the depot with a coffin containing the corpse of one of the victims, lamented that the pipeline explosion was caused by NNPC’s negligence, by pumping fuel through a leaking pipeline which had been abandoned for over three years.

Vanguard gathered that yesterday, additional 16 corpses were buried at Umuimo, while Okpokoroala village buried 10.

Some of the placards carried by the youths read: ‘The explosion was not as a result of vandalism,’ ‘NNPC should stop pumping fuel through abandoned pipelines,’ ‘Since Enugu depot is not functional, where was NNPC pumping fuel to?’ ‘What happened was planned mass killing of our people by NNPC,’ ‘Enough of these deaths caused by NNPC’s carelessness,’ ‘We have been rendered homeless by NNPC,’ among others.

A combined team of policemen and men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, struggled to prevent the youths from causing damage to the facility, even as they insisted that the Depot Manager must address them.

The situation was aggravated by the failure of the Depot Manager, Mr. Joseph Dumaka, and members of his management team to address the youths.

When Vanguard visited the intensive care unit of Abia State University Teaching Hospital, ABSUTH, Aba, over 40 victims were in critical condition, while their family members were seen praying.

Meanwhile, at press time, there were still signs of leakages on the abandoned pipeline, which could also ignite another round of fire.

In an interview with Vanguard, President Osisioma Ngwa Youth Congress, Mr. Emma Nduagu, said over 200 persons have died from the explosion.</s>The number of casualties after an oil product pipeline explosion in Nigeria has reached 200, local media report, as people from local communities have gathered to protest the negligence of the Nigerian national Petroleum Corporation, which, they said, was the reason for the explosion.

The pipeline exploded after it caught fire near the Aba Depot last week. NNPC at the time blamed the explosion on oil theft, which is still rampant in the Niger Delta despite many attempts by the government to put an end to the dangerous practice. The cause of the fire, the company said, could have been oil thieves trying to divert some of the fuel flowing along the pipeline from Port Harcourt to Aba.

Protesters, however, claim that NNPC’s negligence led to leaks in the pipeline and it was these leaks that caused the explosion.

Some 2,000 young people from communities in proximity to the pipeline system gathered at the Aba Depot and barricaded its entrance with a coffin containing the remains of one of the victims of the blast, Nigeria’s Vanguard reported.

The latest update from Reuters, however, puts the number of fatalities resulting from the pipeline blast at 60, as announced by the National Emergency Management Agency. Meanwhile, the System 2E pipeline system of which the exploded pipe is part, has been shut down, but will soon be up and running again.

“We will resume the pumping of products very soon,” Reuters quoted an NNPC spokesman as saying. “We had put out the fire. We are now pumping water in the pipeline to detect other possible areas of leakages.”

The System 2E network carries fuels from the two refineries in Port Harcourt to the southeastern and northern parts of Nigeria. The refineries, Reuters notes, have a capacity of 210,000 bpd but are operating at run rates that are a lot lower than this capacity.</s>The death toll from last Friday Osisioma fuel pipeline explosion has risen to 200, even as protesting youths from the host communities of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, depot, yesterday, shut operation at the facility over the incident.

The youths, numbering 2,000, who barricaded the gate of the depot with a coffin containing the corpse of one of the victims, lamented that the pipeline explosion was caused by NNPC’s negligence, by pumping fuel through a leaking pipeline which had been abandoned for over three years.

Vanguard reported that yesterday, additional 16 corpses were buried at Umuimo, while Okpokoroala village buried 10.

Some of the placards carried by the youths read: ‘The explosion was not as a result of vandalism,’ ‘NNPC should stop pumping fuel through abandoned pipelines,’ ‘Since Enugu depot is not functional, where was NNPC pumping fuel to?’ ‘What happened was planned mass killing of our people by NNPC,’ ‘Enough of these deaths caused by NNPC’s carelessness,’ ‘We have been rendered homeless by NNPC,’ among others.

A combined team of policemen and men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, struggled to prevent the youths from causing damage to the facility, even as they insisted that the Depot Manager must address them.</s>…As Umuaduru village records pipeline leakage

 Osisioma Ngwa youths in Abia State have disclosed that the number of people who died in the Osisioma NNPC pipeline inferno has risen up to 60 even as they threatened to drag the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to court to seek sucour for the families of the victims.

The Public Relations Officer of Osisioma Ngwa Youth Congress (ONYC), Nwabueze Princewill C, confirmed this disclosure to The Daily Times in a facebook chat, saying that : “The entire Osisioma Ngwa Community was rudely awoken in the early hours of Friday, 12th October, at about 1am by a fire accident/pipeline explosion that simultaneously happened at Umuimo and Umuaduru villages.

“As at the time of making this report, over 56 persons have been confirmed dead, while about 100 other victims are receiving treatments with only very slim chances of survival, as the injuries are too severe. Properties with value ranging in millions were lost.

“The outbreak is as a result of the leakages on the pipeline. The lines have been faulty for some years back, and several calls have been made to the NNPC for due maintenance and repairs by the communities and Local Government authority, but they heeded none.

“Still aware of the unrepaired damages, the NNPC pumped products through the line which has been out of use, and failed to take appropriate measures to keep the public safe”.

“While we cannot absolve some of the victims of their own errors, or dismiss the possible fact that many of them went to scoop the gushing products, we emphatically state that there was no case of vandalism on the pipeline.

“The number of casualties at the Umuimo scene is comparatively low for the reason that the men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was on ground to keep people away from the location, but failed to replicate same actions at the Umuaduru site where the number of casualties is outrageous.

“We mourn heavily for the souls of our departed, and grieve deeply for the pains of those who are still alive in pains.

“The public will be notified on our next line of action. We are currently in consultations with our members and relevant stakeholders.

“We admonish all to be calm even in our grief, and take all necessary steps to stay safe.

The leader of the Osisioma Ngwa Youth Congress said he has taken time to visit the various sites, describing it as “a colossal loss”, adding “the incident is the sole fault of the NNPC”.

“While we mourn this loss with a heavy heart, we will take legal measures to make sure we get justice on behalf of the deceased”, the youths said.</s>The death toll from Friday’s oil pipeline explosion in two Abia communities in Osisioma Local Government Area of Abia State has risen to over 150.

For this reason, senator representing the area, Theodore Orji, has called on the Federal Government to declare it a disaster area and that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) be dispatched to the area to see how they could assist the victims.

Senator Orji, who said he put off all engagements to visit the site of the tragedy, lamented that if the people had been properly enlightened on the dangers associated with scooping fuel from a leaked pipeline, the casualties would have been minimal.

He condemned a situation where officials of the PPMC and management of the Aba depot would blame the people for tampering with pipelines, saying that if there was a vandalism of pipeline, the spot would have been known.

Sen. Orji, who was escorted round the site of the disaster by the Chairman of Osisioma Ngwa Local Government, Iheyirinna Mgbeahuru and the councillor of the area, disclosed that the incident, aside from negligence, could also be attributed to the high level of poverty in the land.

He said, “What has happened here should be a lesson to all communities where pipelines are laid. Let us not allow what God has freely given become a source of death. Communities must protect the equipment in their areas.

“If there were leakages the community should have drawn the attention of the depot to it, instead of going there to do illegal business because when disaster happens, it affects beyond imagination.

“What we saw on ground is very sad. We don’t want this kind of tragedy to occur again. The council chairman and his team must immediately embark on enlightenment of the communities where these pipelines are found on proper safety measures and not taking the laws into their hands.

“I will draw the attention of the National Assembly to the incident, but I want to use this time to urge the Federal Government to declare it a disaster area and dispatch NEMA to the community to see how they can assuage the sufferings of the people.”

Sen. Orji, who is the immediate past governor of the state and who is representing Abia Central in the Senate, challenged the depot management to be alive to their duties and collaborate with local authorities to bring succour to the area.

“I was equally informed that security agencies dispatched to the area were compromised. This is not good because the security men should understand the situation more and keep the people at bay. It is an incident that all must participate to dispel,” he added.

Earlier, the chairman of the council, Iheyirinna Mgbeahuru, and former lawmaker from the area, Ikechukwu Nwabeke, told Sen. Orji that the situation would have got out of hand but for the eight cottage hospitals constructed in the area during his tenure as governor.

They also disclosed that on several occasions they had invited the management of the depot to a meeting within the council, but that all was rebuffed, adding that when visits were made to the depot, the management did not do anything, adding that an impact assessment needed to be done because of the suffering of the people of Osisioma to get potable water from boreholes.

It would be recalled that on Friday tragedy struck at Umuibe and adjoining communities while residents were scooping fuel from a leaked NNPC pipeline in the area.</s>The death toll from last Friday’s oil pipeline explosion in two Abia communities in Osisioma Local Government Area of the state has risen to 24, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Anthony Ogbizi, has said. Mr Benito Eze, the state Commander of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, confirmed to newsmen on Friday that 19 persons, including a nursing mother, died on the spot.

 Briefing newsmen in Umuahia last Saturday after visiting the scene of the explosion, Ogbizi said that the number of deaths had risen to 24. Explosion rocks Abia “When we visited the two communities on Saturday, we were informed that 14 people were reported dead at Umuimo village, while 10 died at Umuaduru.

 “Some of the victims who sustained various degrees of burns were said to be asleep when the incident occurred.

 “They were said to have been taken to nearby hospitals and traditional medicine homes for treatment,” he said. The police boss said that management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aba depot blamed the explosion on a spillage from a pipeline that was undergoing maintenance.

 He said: “According to the information we obtained from the NNPC depot in Aba, the spillage occurred on a pipeline that conveys product from Aba depot that was undergoing maintenance.” He said that the incident was being investigated by the command in conjunction with the other security agencies in the state to determine the possible cause.

 Meanwhile, two Nigerian soldiers were killed and nine others wounded in two separate mine blasts in the northeast where troops are battling Boko Haram extremists, military and militia sources said yesterday. The two incidents occurred last Saturday, “We lost two soldiers in the incidents. Nine others and three civilian vigilantes were injured”, said the officer who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak on the matter.

 Troops rescue 73 hostages, kill 7 Boko Haram terrorists in Borno In the first incident, troops on foot patrol stepped on a mine around Kumshe village, near the border with Cameroon.

 “Two soldiers were killed in the explosion,” a member of a civilian militia assisting in the fight against the jihadists, told AFP.

 Hours later a military patrol hit a mine planted on a road between the towns of Dikwa and Marte, about 140 kilometres away.

 Nine soldiers were wounded as well as three from the civilian militia group, the officer said. Boko Haram has intensified attacks on military targets in Borno and neighbouring Yobe state in recent months. The nine-year jihadist conflict which has spilled into Niger, Cameroon and Chad, has killed 27,000 people and left some 1.8 million homeless in Nigeria alone.</s>The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has attributed the Oct. 12 pipeline explosion in some communities in Osissioma Local Government Area of Abia, to lack of routine pipeline maintenance.

Mr Evans Ugoh, NEMA Coordinator Imo/Abia Operations Office, apportioned the blame in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Owerri on Monday after visiting the scene.

Ugoh who confirmed that 60 people died in the explosion also blamed the injured victims for not raising alarm when they noticed the pipeline leakage, but chose to scoop fuel from the ruptured pipeline.

He said that the rapture Nigeria National Population Corporation (NNPC)’s pipeline needed maintenance before the incident but that was not done.

NAN recalls that the explosion occurred on the NNPC pipeline in Umuimo and Umuaduru communities on Oct 12, living scores of people dead.

“My team has visited the scene of the explosion and we discovered that victims of the incident took advantage of the pipeline leakage and were scooping the oil before fire caught on them.

“I also blamed the victims who noticed the leakage but rather than raising alarm, decided to steal the fuel which eventually led to their death,” he said.

Ugoh said there should be a routine maintenance of all pipelines and also urged NNPC to beef up security in oil pipelines.

He suggested a uniform disaster management strategy by oil companies and NNPC and to come up with best practices on disaster management.

He said oil stakeholders should engage the services of professionals and to sponsor research for disaster management strategies for oil pipeline.</s>ABUJA: Sixty people were killed after a fire broke out on Friday on an oil pipeline in the southeast of Nigeria, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Monday, up from the tally of 16 dead given by officials three days earlier.

The state oil company on Friday said pumping on the System 2E pipeline network had been halted.

"We will resume the pumping of products very soon," NNPC spokesman Ndu Ughamadu told Reuters on Monday. "We had put out the fire. We are now pumping water in the pipeline to detect other possible areas of leakages."

The System 2E pipeline is a key network that supplies imported gasoline and output from the Port Harcourt refineries to much of the southeast and north of the country. The two refining plants at Port Harcourt operate far below their 210,000 barrels per day capacity.

In an emailed statement, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said it had been prevented from pumping fuel to the southeastern Enugu Depot "which has remained underutilised despite its recent rehabilitation by the NNPC".

Many oil spills in the southern oil production heartland of Africa's biggest crude producer are caused by theft and pipeline sabotage. The methods used to steal the oil often result in accidents that cause fires.

The state oil company , which on Friday gave a death toll of 16, said the fire had been caused by pipeline vandals who breached the pipeline in Ososioma near the southeastern city of Aba.</s>The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has shut down a key oil product pipeline after late last week a fire broke out along the pipeline route, which the company said was likely to have been caused by an explosion triggered by suspected oil thieves.

On Friday, NNPC said that it was moving to contain a fire outbreak along the Osisioma axis near Aba Depot in its System 2E pipeline network.

“The corporation said the incident might have been caused by suspected oil thieves who had hacked into the line to intercept flow of petrol from Port Harcourt to Aba. NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, confirmed fatalities and loss of properties in the ensuing inferno,” NNPC said in a statement on Friday.

According to Nigerian media, the death toll is said be 24, although Eze Ikechukwu Chiavoghilefu, chairman at the Osisioma Local Government Traditional Rulers Council, says that the fatalities are 150.

“NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, expressed shock at the wanton willful destruction of lives and properties occasioned by the incident,” the Nigerian company said in its Friday statement.

On Monday, a spokesman told S&P Global Platts that “The oil pipeline fire outbreak along the Osisioma axis near Aba Depot might have been caused by suspected oil thieves who had hacked into the line to intercept flow of petrol from Port Harcourt to Aba.”

“Petrol [gasoline] was being pumped from the Port Harcourt depot when the fire occurred, so the pipeline was shut down as a safety measure,” the spokesman said, adding that 16 people had died.

The shutdown of the 2E pipeline network disrupted over the weekend the supply of imported gasoline as well as the flow of gasoline that the 210,000-bpd Port Harcourt refineries pump to southeast and north Nigeria, the spokesman told Platts.

Nigeria’s four refineries have a combined capacity of 445,000 bpd, as per Platts figures, but the inefficient refineries in need of upgrades and revamps are unable to meet domestic fuel demand, so Nigeria has to import gasoline.
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• None Goldman Sachs: This Is The Next Big Risk For Oil</s>At least 50 people have been confirmed killed in the petroleum pipeline accident at Umuaduru and Umuimo in Osisioma Ngwa Local Council of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria, an official said late Saturday, raising the possibility that the death toll might rise.

“At the moment, we have 50 casualties but we will have a comprehensive report on Monday when we go to all the hospitals,” Evans Ugoh, southeast regional head of the National Emergency Management Agency, told Anadolu Agency.

Ugoh said the explosion occurred in the early hours of Saturday when people were scooping fuel from a damaged pipeline through which the state-owned oil corporation ferries refined crude oil to its depot in Enugu, the capital city of Enugu state.

“The pipeline caught fire when they were scooping fuel, resulting in a huge explosion. A whole building was razed in the inferno while dozens of people were injured,” he said.

Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, visited the accident site yesterday in the company of the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Anthony Ogbizi.

The governor immediately directed the state Petroleum Resources Commissioner, Mr. Chizurum Kanu to constitute a Commission of Inquiry to unravel the remote and immediate causes of the incident.

He described the incident as “unfortunate and disheartening,” while commiserating with the families and relations of the victims.
The death toll of an accidental explosion in Aba, Nigeria, rises to 200. Over 2,000 people protest, claiming that the pipeline explosion was caused by NNPC's negligence.