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.
