Our lives are still in danger

Abia communities still in shock over pipeline fire that claimed First Class graduate, 59 others

Penultimate Friday, Abia State was thrown into serious mourning with the death of more than 60 people in a petrol pipeline explosion which occurred in two communities, Umuaduru and Umuimo, both in Osisioma Local Government Area of the state. SUNNY NWANKWO visited the two communities and reports that the people were yet to recover from the shock brought about by the incident.

The importance of Osisioma Local Government Area to the Abia State Government is borne out by the literal meaning of the name—a tree that bears good fruits. With official population of 219,632, according to the 2006 census, it is one of the important local government areas that can never be undermined in the scheme of things as far as Abia State is concerned.

Like Aba North and South where there is heavy concentration of businesses and economic activities, Osisioma hosts numerous industries including the indigenous Aba Geometric Power Plant and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aba Depot where various petroleum products from Port Harcourt going to the Enugu depot and others in different parts of the country are channelled from.

But other than the movement of cargo trucks in and out of the area, including the usual air and environmental pollution suffered by the people due to the activities of manufacturing companies, Osisioma is relatively calm.

But that was until Friday, October 12 when the entire local government, the state and indeed the world at large woke up to the news of a petrol pipeline explosion that roasted no fewer than 60 people to death in Umuaduru and Umuimo communities. The casualties included a nursing mother who had gone to the spot to get her own share of the “national cake”.

While a few of the victims were said to have died at the Umuimo fire scene, the casualty figure at Umuaduru was unprecedented. The scene was so gory that only brave hearted people could go near.

Reports from the community claimed that at the time of this report, more than150 members of Umuadur community had been buried. A source from the community who would not want his name in print told our reporter that one week after the incident, they were still burying their dead on a daily basis.

Lamenting the incident, the source wondered why the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had to pump fuel into the pipeline which had not been in use for many years.

“This is a line they knew was faulty. They pumped fuel into it and now we have lost more than 100 people. We are not happy and the gods of the land are not happy. The youths and our mothers and fathers are not happy. That is why we are here to demand for an explanation from the NNPC.

“We are here to know why the NNPC decided to kill our brothers and sisters and relatives. We want to tell government how we feel. The government must hear the true situation of what happened,” he said.

Fresh danger

Last Saturday afternoon, multiple leakages were further detected where petroleum products were gushing out without any effort to block the places where the leakages were detected.

“Yesterday, the products were flowing into people’s houses while they are yet to respond to our calls. What they want to achieve is to wipe out the entire community of Umuaduru,” said exasperated President Osisioma Ngwa Youth Congress, Comrade Emmanuel Onyebuchi Nduagua.

Also lamenting the situation, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Osisioma Ngwa Youth Congress Princewill Nwabueze, said: “Osisioma Ngwa youths’ population used to be larger than this, but look at what they have reduced us to. Some of us here don’t have homes any more. Many of us do not have another cloth to change into. Hectares of farm land have been destroyed, properties have been destroyed and NNPC is doing nothing to attend to the challenges that we have now.

“After here, we don’t know where else to go to. We don’t know where we are going to rest our heads. NNPC know that that line has been faulty and they have refused to repair it.

“The leakage started around 8 pm on Thursday night. They were contacted, but there was no response until around 5 am when the fire started. They are still pumping fuel till now and the products are still flowing. Do they want to kill all of us? That is the question that we want to ask them.”

Miss Nkolika Ukaonu who lost her brother Smart, a First Class graduate of Economics from Abia State University, Uturu, was in tears as she recalled that her brother died as a result of the fuel vapour that saturated the atmosphere.

Ukaonu, who said the family was yet to recover from the shock of their son’s death, denied the claims that Smart went to the scene of the pipeline fire to scoop fuel.

Battles for survival of injured victims

Speaking on the survival chance of injured victims, a surgeon at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Okocha Ogbonna Unya, said: “At the resuscitative phase at the management of the burns victims, I and other surgical team managed about five of them who had burns ranging from 90-100 degrees. They are all third degree burns, but we were able to manage them.

Some of them had no veins to be able to resuscitate adequately, but we did what we needed to do. We had to open up their bodies and started resuscitating them with fluids and blood transfusion.

“The visit of the Honourable Commissioner for Health, John Ahukanna, and his request for the medical bills to be posted to the Abia State Government reassured us. I would say that the surgical team, especially the Burns Unit, has done very well. All that needed to be done have been done to save their lives. Treatment is going on as it should be.

“With the kind of burns that they suffered, survival is very slim. It is a flame and enclosure burns, and this makes it very serious. When somebody has suffered 90-100 degrees burn, the prognosis is likely to be poor.

“But we are not giving up. We are not relenting. The hospital is doing all that it could. We must fight till the end because the bible says we should all fight till the end.

“Let nobody lose hope. Miracle still happens. It is a surgical miracle for somebody to survive 100 degrees burn after 72 hours to 90 hours. That tells you that the surgical team on call over the weekend really did some work.

“Five people were brought here. After the commissioner and the First Lady left, one died. Around 6 pm, the second person gave up. And by yesterday, one gave up. The couple are the ones that are still alive.

Angry youths protest

On Monday, youths of Umuaduru and Umuiom communities in Osisioma LGA barricaded the main entrance of the Osisioma Depot of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in protest over the multiple deaths and loss of property in the communities as a result of the pipeline explosion.

The youths numbering more than 50 also took the body of one of the deceased members of the community to the NNPC depot where they observed five minutes silence for the dead. From the entrance of the facility, they later moved to the ever busy Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway.

According to them, the rally was meant to draw the attention of the management of the NNPC, the federal government and the general public to the multiple deaths recorded in their community over what they described as negligence on the part of the NNPC.

The youths, who carried placards with various inscriptions such as “NNPC must tell us what happened to our people; NNPC has committed genocide in Osisioma Ngwa; We are calling on the international community to come to our rescue; Enough of these deaths caused by the carelessness from NNPC; Our source of blessing should not be a curse,” caused heavy traffic jam on the expressway, causing commuters who could not endure the gridlock to trek to their various destinations.

The youths, who were peaceful in the protest that lasted for more than five hours, gave the Aba NNPC Depot Manager, Mr. Joseph Dumaka, 24 hours to retract a statement attributed to him that the reason the explosion was caused by vandals from the communities.

The youths also threatened that Mr. Dumaka failed to retract his comments and tell the world what led to the leakage and why they should pump petroleum in a line that had not been in use for eight years, they would open a can of worms the depot manager could not deny knowledge of.

Contrary to the figure reportedly released by NNPC, the police and officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the protesters put the death toll at the time of the protest 115.

The youths, who claimed that 10 persons died on Monday morning, said that the two communities and others whose loved ones were affected in the inferno had been burying their loved ones since the incident occurred penultimate Friday. This is even as they stated that more people were on danger list due to the degrees of burns they sustained, even though they were receiving treatment at various hospitals and traditional homes.

The failure of the depot manager or any official of the NNPC in the Aba depot to address the youths got them infuriated such that they threatened to break into the facility to fish out the depot manager, but for the timely efforts of the Osisioma Ngwa Youth Congress President, Mr. Emma Nduagu, to calm frayed nerves.

The Chairman of Osisioma LGA, Benjamin Mgbeahuru, represented by his Chief of Staff, Nwagbara Chimdirim Godpower, said: “Our people have died in a very disastrous way.  We must not take the law into our hands no matter what. But I must state clearly that we are very angry to hear how the depot management lied that the cause of the explosion is as a result of vandal activities.

“We want to state that it was due to carelessness on the part of Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC).

“We have invited them several times but they refused. Humans are very hard to control, and there is no way such leakages will happen in this time of hardship and you control everybody.

“Please, I beg you to take back the casket and we assure you that justice must be done.”

Aba residents want incident investigated

Residents of Aba were worried that no one had been held responsible for the incident. They called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, Group Managing Director Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation and heads of security agencies in the state to launch full investigation into the explosion.

According to some of the respondents, Buhari, Kachikwu and heads of various security agencies who are investigating the incident should call to question the personnel of the Osisioma NNPC Depot in charge of petroleum distribution and supply in the facility.

A community leader, Sopuruchi Umekwe, said: “The product (PMS), which we learnt came from Port Harcourt, is not even enough to satisfy the demand in Aba. Go to the depot and see a lot of tankers waiting to be loaded. Not everybody was able to get the product, and somebody somewhere has the temerity to sabotage the government.

“The product in the first place was not meant to leave the depot for either Enugu or Kaduna. So, if they are saying that it is not sabotage, let the police and others tell us through their investigation of people controlling entrance and exit of products from the depot, on whose order they pushed the product from the depot.

“They should not sweep anything under the carpet if they know that this act must be stopped. The world is hearing this because it went the wrong way on (penultimate) Friday. We are going to open a can of worms concerning the shady deals going on in that depot if those investigating the incident want to sweep their findings under the carpet. We are watching and would make our position known in due time.”

Senator Nwaogwu demands explanation

Following the pipeline explosion that led to loss of many lives in Aba, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and 2019 Abia Central Senatorial candidate of the party, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu, has asked the management of the NNPC to immediately provide explanation as to what led to the use of abandoned pipeline in pumping petrol.

Nwaogu, who visited the two scenes of the incident urged the youths in the area to remain calm and peaceful, promising that the reason behind the ugly incident would not be swept under the carpet.

Speaking in a meeting between her and the emergency investigation committee set up by NNPC, Senator Nwaogu thanked the team for responding immediately and asked them to get behind the reason an abandoned pipeline would suddenly be put into use without proper maintenance.

She said: “I thank you for your timely intervention in setting up a committee to look into this tragedy. Our people are not happy. We understand that this very pipeline has not been in use for some time or has not been tested and there are holes on the pipe and it has resulted in the loss of lives.

“I, Senator Nkechi Nwaogu, will not allow any bureaucracy to suppress what has happened here. Before meeting this committee today, I had already prepared to come and ask the depot manager some questions. I want to ask the Depot Manager why this pipeline was fed with PMS when it had not been in use for some time. Why did you make use of a pipeline which ought not to be made use of?

“I was once the Chairman Senate Committee on Gas and I have visited here a lot. For this pipeline to have many spots in different communities it passes through where PMS was gushing out, I don’t think this is vandalism. How can vandals simultaneously puncture a pipe in different distant locations? I believe that something bigger than vandalism took place here and answers are needed.

“I am speaking based on the narratives I have heard, and the narratives I am getting here is pathetic. Most of your workers, vigilante men and Civil Defence officials are saying that this very pipeline has not been in use for many years.

“Another thing I want to find out is, as you are doing your investigation, which is like a post mortem and commendable, what do we do to those families that have been rendered homeless, helpless and have nowhere to lay their heads? Most of them have been reduced to destitute.

“What will NNPC do now as an interim measure to assist these families? Tension is high, and for those that are still alive, something must be done fast to give them interim relief before you can talk of compensation.

“I urge you to visit the hospitals where they are being treated to help your investigation. My interest is to see that this does not repeat itself and that homeless people are not abandoned. If we leave this issue to the youths, there will be restiveness.”

Responding, the leader of the NNPC Investigation Committee, Chief Alex Egwudale, extended his condolences to the people and begged them to work together with his team of investigators to enable them make proper reports.

He said: “It is a terrible loss. It was streamed to us at the headquarters in Abuja. We felt very bad that young people could lose their lives in their prime. We sincerely condole with you, your constituency and the state at large.

“NNPC gave this matter utmost seriousness and that is why we were dispatched to come here immediately.

“However, it is not exactly correct that it is a disused pipe. Our first information report, which can be wrong or right, had it that there was tampering on the line. But we are not actually saying that that was exactly what happened. We are here to get more facts on what actually happened so that it wouldn’t happen again.

“Any information gotten from everyone here will make our report richer. The people that are affected are my brothers and sisters. I cannot do anything against Abia State. We are here to look for solution to ensure that ugly incidents like this don’t repeat themselves. I know that this depot wants to start pumping fuel to Enugu and repair works are ongoing there.

“I can explain the pockets of fire we had here to be related to uncontrolled leakage. As the fuel flows, the fire be following it. We shall open the places affected and put everything in order.

“As a committee, we were given a brief and we are working with it. By next week, our public affairs team will also come in. I am not here to celebrate the death of my people, but to make things right. Sincerely, I condole with you.”

Present at the meeting which took place at the Osisioma Mega Depot of NNPC were NNPC Investigation Committee members, leaders of Osisioma Ngwa Youth Congress and representatives from Independent Petroleum Marketing Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).

First Lady, health commissioner visit victims

In keeping with the avowed disposition of Governor Okezie Victor Ikpeazu to caring for all citizens of Abia, the First Lady, Deaconess Nkechi Ikpeazu, paid an unscheduled visit to the scenes of the pipeline inferno in Umuimo and Umuaduru communities.

The wife of the governor and her entourage were received by the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr John Gozie Ahukannah, and she offered the patients cash gifts after she had been conducted round the hospital.

Speaking with journalists at the Intensive Care Unit of the Abia State Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Aba, Messrs Uchechukwu and Ugochukwu, brothers to Chima Madu who together with his wife suffered 100 degrees burn, said although doctors had said that the chances of their brother and wife surviving the burns were very slim, they were still hopeful that God would keep them alive.

Ugochukwu said: “I am a driver and I operate from our village, Isuochi in Umunneochi Local Government Area of the state to Aba every day. Around 5.30 am on that fateful day, I was already on the way when a number called me. It was not the kind of person I would expect to call me by that time of the day.

“When I asked why he was calling, he told me that my brother’s house was burning. He told me that my brother had been rushed to the hospital and that his wife was yet to be seen.

“I called my younger brother to go to the place and find out what was happening. On reaching Aba, I discharged my passengers. And while I was on my way to their house, my younger brother called to inform me that he had seen my brother’s children but he hadn’t seen their parents.

“When we met, all of us rushed down to this hospital (ABSUTH), and since that Friday, I haven’t gone home. The cloth that you see me putting on is the one I came with. But I thank God that they are still alive and I believe that God will rescue them from this situation.

“I thank the Governor’s wife and the Health Commissioner for their concern. It has gone a long way to cushion the effect it would have cost us to take care of their medical bills.

“Their children are still tender. I cannot bear the burden; four children with my own. Everybody knows what the economy of the country is at the moment.

“The medical team, I must be honest to you, have been exceptional. It is like God sent every one of them. I learnt that they have even done beyond what they are supposed to do.”