Many Feared Dead As Explosion Rocks Illegal Bunkering Site In Imo

Some yet to be accounted numbers of persons have been confirmed dead in an explosion that stormed an illegal bunkering site in Obitti, an oil-producing community in Imo State, on Wednesday.

However, a community leader, who did not want his name mentioned, alleged that the victims trespassed the territory of the illegal bunkering location said to be under the control of a kingpin, also said to be a politician.

According to a eyewitness, he said: “Vandals came to vandalise pipeline right of way. This place is called Ndorama pipeline right of way.

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“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 from and emptied the oil into a tanker parked inside the bush.

“They used long hoses connected it to the pipe but unfortunately, luck ran out of them. It exploded and killed many of them. You can see some of them burnt to ashes. Some of them, their bodies are still burning. The tanker was still burning.”