Several persons have reportedly lost their lives following an explosion from a tanker suspected to have been used by oil bunkers in the forest of Obitti, Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State on Tuesday 30 January.
Media reports say, the incident occurred at Ndorama Pipeline at the Obitti Rubber Estate of Ohaji/Egbema Local Government of the state.
An eye witness was quoted as saying; “Vandals came to vandalize pipeline right of way. This place is called Ndorama Pipeline, right of way. They drove to the place in a tanker suspected to be used for the illegal bunkering. They dug deep into the ground, located the pipeline, and from where they tapped and emptied the oil into a tanker parked inside the bush.
He added that the vandals made use of long hoses, connected them to the pipe but unfortunately as such could not yield positive result, it went up in flames and killed many of them.
It was learnt that most of the undisclosed number of vandals were burnt beyond recognition.
While confirming the incident in an interview with journalists on Thursday 31 January, spokesperson of the Imo State Police command, Henry Okoye, stated that the command had set up a team to investigate and unravel the immediate cause of the incident, as well as apprehend those involved in the ugly incident.
As of press time, the police spokesperson did not disclose the number of casualties involved in the incident, stating that they have yet to ascertain that.
