President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered Nigeria’s security and intelligence agencies to intensify the clampdown on illegal refineries across the country to safeguard the lives of citizens.
This is as he commiserated with the families and the community of the people who lost their lives in the unfortunate gas explosion that hit an illegal refinery at Abaezi community in Ohaji Egbema local government area of Imo State.
Buhari’s directive is contained in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Sunday in Abuja.
What you should know
The order is coming barely 24 hours after the reported burning to death of over 100 people after an illegal refinery at the above-mentioned community exploded with several other people sustaining severe injuries.
According to Shehu, the president in his reaction described the tragic incident as a catastrophe and national disaster, saying that the responsibility for the loss of lives and property must squarely lie with the sponsors of the illegal refinery, “who must all be caught and made to face justice.”
The President conveyed “the condolences and the full depth and range of the nation’s shock and trauma” to the families of the victims, the Ohaji Egbema community and the government and people of Imo,
He urged community leaders, police, and the secret service to never allow the occurrence of the heart-breaking incident in any part of the country again.
In case you missed it
- Nairametrics had yesterday reported that no fewer than 100 people were burnt to death on Friday night after an illegal refinery exploded at Abaezi forest in the Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.
- The inferno which was reported to have thrown the community into panic also affected 6 vehicles which were razed as well with many more suffering severe injuries.
- Confirming the unfortunate incident, the Imo State Commissioner for Petroleum Resources, Goodluck Opiah, who is an indigene of Egbema and was at the scene, said that the state government had declared the owner of the illegal refinery, Okenze Onyenwoke, wanted.
May the Souls if the victims Rest in Peace.
The fire brigade approach won’t bring any lasting solutions to the so called illegal.
As humans we have an adaptability and survival instinct ,water will always finds its level.
Why illegal refineries?
Where are the legal refineries?
Where are their products?
Nature abhors vacuum.
Illegal refineries are a creation of a dysfunctional system