Deadly explosion near Nigerian oil refinery

An explosion and fire near an illegal oil refinery site in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region killed at least 12 people Friday, police said, although local residents reported a much higher death toll. The explosion in Emuoha council area of the southern Rivers state occurred along a pipeline targeted by illegal refinery operators who were trying to steal oil.

Preliminary investigation by the Police Command indicates that the victims were scooping crude products when the site caught fire. Five vehicles, four auto-rickshaws and a motorcycle "were all burned to ashes. People in the area said that dozens may have died in the fire that raged for hours and that the victims were mostly young people who planned to siphon oil from a pipeline and to transport to an illegal refinery site in at least five vehicles.

Executive director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre said a spark from the exhaust pipe of a bus loaded with gallons of crude oil ignited the explosion as the driver attempted to depart. Illegal refineries are a lucrative business in Nigeria, one of Africa's top oil producers.

They are more rampant in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, where most of the nation's oil facilities are located. Nigeria lost at least $3 billion worth of crude oil to theft between January 2021 and February 2022.