Five months after more than 100 persons were burnt to death in an explosion at an illegal oil refinery at Abaezi forest in Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, operators have resumed, The Nation can confirm.
Over 100 person’s were roasted to death on April 22 during the explosion in the community.
The Nation reports illegal dealers have returned to the forests for vandalization of pipelines.
It was gathered that those involved in the illegal activity go through River Orashi and bush paths to access the pipelines, which pass through the bush.
When The Nation visited the explosion site at Abaezi, the place looks desolate but it was gathered that some illegal oil bunkering takes place at nights.
It was gathered that the dealers have shifted into the bush where Nigeria Petroleum Development Corporation Ltd (NPDC) ,Shell Petroleum Development Corporation Ltd (SPDC), Nigerian Agip Oil Co. Ltd (NAOC), Addax Petroleum Development Corporation of Nigeria Ltd pipelines are crisscrossing across the land of Egbema.
An indigene of the area, who pleaded anonymity, said some people come in the night to perform some skeletal duties.
“They are still doing skeletal duties at Abaezi while some of the pipelines criss crossed in the bush are broken into and our prayer is that may God not allow another fire disaster in the area soon,” he said.
” I was told there are different places in the bush where they do the illegal business because the pipelines pass through the bush, so the people go through the bush paths and River Orashi to get access to the pipeline sites because the roads are occupied by the military and security agencies. So, they can hardly ply on the well known roads,” he added.
It was learnt that illegal operators come from Bayelsa and Rivers States to carry out the act through speed boats, using jerry cans to ferry the commodity to waiting buyers.
“And many of them are not indigenes, they come from Bayelsa and Rivers states, many of them are knowledgeable than our people in the business, they are in fact those who export the crude.
“They also know how to trace their ways through the bushes because the illegal activity is happening right in the bush not in the occupied areas where all eyes can see them and it happens in the night,” the source stressed.
It was also learnt that the most of the surveillance contracts are awarded to friends and relations of the management staff of the oil companies while sidelining the traditional rulers.
The Nzeobi(King) of Egbema Ancient Kingdom, HRM Eze Barr. Goodhead Ariaga said the illegal operators pass through the bush paths and River Orashi to get access to the pipelines.
He said: “The possible places they use to gain entry now is uninhabited areas like Orashi river, those from outside ferry whatever they have through the river. Then any other one going by land is through the bush areas.
“The oil companies know that their pipelines are not areas where people live. So what they did was to use surveillance team or give surveillance contracts, they don’t come close to the traditional rulers, they award security contracts, bush clearing contracts to their relations and friends instead of going through the traditional rulers who are the custodians of the communities. As I speak to you, traditional rulers like myself are not carried along.
“My predecessor was given some surveillance contracts in his days and there were a lot of success because an Eze also carries some weights to ensure some level of discipline in the community.
“But what they did this time was to use whoever they preferred. If we have our people working along these pipelines, there will be less problem but those that they engage we really don’t know them and they don’t know areas well.”
He however regretted that since that April 22 the fire incident happened neither the government nor the oil companies have visited his palace or the palace of any of the six traditional rulers of Ohaji-Egbema.
“I am the traditional ruler of the Abaezi where the incident occurred. I can tell you that since this incident, all the traditional rulers in Egbema none has been called, invited, given explanation, ask to explain anything at all. So you can see how tiresome it is, you are available as a traditional ruler to play your role only when there’s trouble.”
He also claimed none of the 100 victims identified by a committee set up by the six communities affected by the explosion have received any kind of palliatives from the oil companies or government.
When the Public Relations Officer of Shell Petroleum Development Corporation Ltd (SPDC), Adande Michael was contacted, he said he was on leave.
However, a source close to one of the oil companies disagreed with the view of the traditional rulers, saying except where there is squabble, no traditional ruler in the oil producing areas had been sidelined in the award of surveillance contracts.
He said: “if for any reason surveillance contracts are been given to any person in Imo State, the community knows very well that such contract was given out to someone probably from the community and cannot say that they are not aware if surveillance contract is given out to someone or to a contractor who probably is from the community. What I can tell you there may be some squabbles but for a community leader to come out to say that they are been sidelined it is wrong and total lies.”
The Public Relations Officer, National Security and Civil Defence Corp(NSCDC) in Owerri, Chimeziri Lowell disclosed that some of their men were withdrawn from Headquarters recently, adding that they were just setting up freshmen that would resume duty in those areas soon.
“We withdrew some of our men recently from the National Headquarters, but we are just setting up freshmen that will go into that area. Our men were there like three or four months after that horrible situation howbeit it was reduced drastically. We promise a positive change by Momday,” he said.
