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Tag: NNPC

  • NNPC, BP seal fuel supply deal

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has signed a six-month Direct Sale-Direct Purchase (DSDP) agreement with the British Petroleum’s (BP) trading arm, BP Oil International Limited.

    The agreement which is for supply of petrol is part of measures by the Corporation to supply petroleum products across the country, especially as the Yuletide period approaches.

    This latest agreement represents 20 per cent of NNPC’s total petrol supply under the DSDP arrangement, which basically allows the corporation to exchange crude oil with international oil traders for imported petroleum products over a period of time.

    Speaking shortly after a brief signing ceremony at the NNPC Towers in Abuja, yesterday, the NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, said as the nation’s products supplier of last resort, the state-run oil firm was committed to products availability by inviting new and old players to play in the downstream oil sector.

    He said over the years, BP had demonstrated the capacity and robustness to augment the forecasted shortfall by NNPC, especially as the winter period approaches and as the nation’s elections get underway early into the New Year.

    “As a reliable supplier, we think BP is a brand that we can always partner with. We trust the company and we have a good relationship with it. We also believe in the company’s commitment towards the development of local content,” Baru said.

    The NNPC helmsman also commended BP for choosing to partner AYM Shafa, a local oil company, which he said had been expanding its downstream footprints across the nook and cranny of the country.

    Baru said: “BP’s partnership with AYM Shafa towards delivering on its DSDP obligations makes it a perfect fit for our plans to ensure that there is adequate supply of products throughout the coming Yuletide and even beyond the election period. In AYM Shafa, you are talking of a local company with over 150 retail outlets, depots as well as a good network of trucks nationwide.”

    Responding, the Head of Marketing & Origination of BP’s oil trading business, Mr. John Goodridge, said it was a great honour for his company to be trusted by the NNPC as one of its strategic suppliers.

    “We are delighted to have the opportunity to work more closely with the NNPC. Going forward, we hope to grow this mutual relationship to greater things,” Goodridge added.

     

     

     

  • Ministry denies knowledge of alleged NNPC’s $3.5bn subsidy fund

    The Federal Ministry of Finance has denied knowledge of a 3.5 billion-dollar fund allegedly kept and utilised by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for fuel subsidy.

    The Permanent Secretary, Mr Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, gave the ministry’s position when he appeared before the Senate ad hoc committee probing the allegation in Abuja on Thursday.

    Isa-Dutse’s claim appeared to corroborate the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr Maikanti Baru, who restated the agency’s denial that it had no such fund in its custody.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the allegation emanated from the Minority Leader of the Senate, Abiodun Olujimi, at plenary on Oct. 16.

    In a point of order, Olujimi had alleged there was a 3.5 billion dollar “Subsidy Recovery Fund being managed only by the GMD and Executive Director, Finance, of the NNPC”.

    It was on the basis of that allegation that the Senate set up the committee, chaired by the Majority Leader, Sen. Ahmed Lawan.

    Isa-Dutse said the ministry was only aware of the outstanding payments under the old subsidy regime, being handled by the Debt Management Office (DMO).

    “As far as the current fuel importation regime is concerned, the Ministry of Finance does not have any account it is operating.

    “We are not aware of the alleged 3.5 billion dollar fund, and we do not maintain any subsidy fund account,” he said.

    The NNPC had earlier denied the 3.5 billion dollar subsidy fund claim in a statement on Oct. 17.

    The GMD explained on Thursday that the agency was only utilising a revolving fund of 1.05 billion dollars to defray the cost of under-recovery in the importation of fuel.

    Asked by the lawmakers to differentiate between subsidy and the “cost of under-recovery”, Baru said subsidy was usually captured in the national budget, while the latter was not.

    The 1.05 billion dollars, according to him, is part of the NNPC’s operational costs.

    He said the money was sourced from the corporation’s share dividend in the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    Baru explained that the action was in line with section 7 (4)(b) of the NNPC Act, which mandated it to defray its operational costs from its revenue.

    “This 1.05 billion dollars is being administered under a steering committee that was set up, and a working committee that handles daily operations of this fund.

    “These committees comprise representatives of the Minister of Finance, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Accountant General of the Federation, CBN, Petroleum Pricing Regulatory Agency, Petroleum Equalisation Fund Management Board, Directorate of Petroleum Resources and the NNPC.

    “The fund is being transparently administered according to laid down processes and governance.

    “I would like this honourable committee to note that the actions of NNPC were in compliance with the National Assembly directive that NNPC, as the supplier of last resort should, and has, maintained robust petrol supply and distribution to the nation.

    “Currently, no other oil company imports petrol due to the high landing cost above the N145 per litre price ceiling on sale of the product, and also due to the lack of provision for subsidy in the Appropriation Acts since 2016,” he explained.

    The GMD assured the committee that the NNPC would continue to guarantee energy security in the country by maintaining PMS supply at the approved pump price of N145 per litre, except directed otherwise.

    When Lawan requested for documents to back up his claims, Baru said they were not immediately available and asked for one month to present them to the committee.

    But the lawmaker gave him two weeks to furnish the committee with the documents, and adjourned the hearing till Nov. 6.(NAN)

  • Baru commends NPDC on 100% local content on gas facility

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)  has commended the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), for achieving 100 per cent local content input in  the development of Oredo Integrated Gas Handling Facility (IGHF).

    Dr Maikanti Baru, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, made the commendation when he visited NPDC, its upstream subsidiary on Wednesday, a statement released by the Corporation, on Thursday in Abuja said.

    The GMD toured the NPDC’s Oredo Flow Station, Oredo Gas-to-Pan-Ocean Facility, Oredo Integrated Gas Handling Facility (IGHF), as well as the Oredo LPG Dispensing Facility, all in Edo.

    He said he was proud that a world-class facility was being put in place by a Nigerian engineering contractor in conjunction with another Nigerian company, the NPDC.

    “From engineering, construction to erection of the various units, we feel very encouraged by the huge man-hours which you are putting in here, day and night, with full local content,” Baru told over 500 workers at the site.

    “The IGHF is currently at 80 per cent completion.

    “ When completed in December, it will make provision for dehydration of gas and liquid extraction.

    “ It is expected to also produce both Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Propane, in addition to dry gas to the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS),’’ he said

    He described the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 111, where the gas projects were located, as one of the most significant assets of the NPDC.

    According to him, it is where the corporation’s staff members and their contractors design, build and operate facilities hitherto operated by the International Oil Companies (IOCs).

    “You could see that right from the well-design through to reception of the various liquids to the processing and disposal of the various outputs, it is fully indigenous. So, it cannot be better than this,” he added.

    He said as a National Oil Company (NOC), the corporation was using this to showcase its ability to intervene.

    “We are not just a player, we are also building capacity that can enable us intervene by taking over any assets whenever any contractor decides to opt out,” he said

    Baru stated that the project’s funding constraints would be addressed soonest and noted that NNPC was considering alternative means to support and complete the project.

    “All these projects are located within OML 111, one of our critical assets which we are keen on deriving maximum benefits from,” he stated.

    Earlier, the Managing Director of the NPDC, Mr Yusuf Matashi, thanked the NPDC Board led by the GMD, for coming down to inspect the gas facilities, saying it was the first time the company was witnessing a highly-synchronised support towards the projects.

    He said the LPG Dispensing Facility strategically offered 40 per cent solution for Nigeria’s domestic LPG market which would translate into extra cash flow for the company.

    “Another advantage is that it will ensure ease of distribution and penetration into the market. You can take LPG to every nook and cranny of the country from here. So, it is quite strategic,” he noted.

    He said in line with NPDC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts, the company had engaged the youth within the host community area, with a number of them fully involved in the local contracts around the project as well as the pipeline Right Of Way (ROW).

    “We have also completed a Skills Acquisition Centre which is currently being furnished in line with the component of the project.

    “We intend to commission the centre even before the project is completed.

    “From our records, this is one project that has engendered cordial relationship with the Oredo community and we hope to replicate similar understanding in other areas within the Niger Delta,” he said

    Also, the NNPC Chief Operating Officer, Upstream, Malam Bello Rabiu, expressed happiness that the project would be delivered within time and budget.

    He also charged the workers to double the over one million man-hours achieved so far in the project without any incidence.

    Located 34km southeast of Benin City, the OML 111 is an onshore field comprising five fields viz: Oki-Oziengbe-South, Aroh North, Koko, Oghama as well as Oredo, which has 12 out of its 15 wells currently producing.(NAN)

  • Pipeline explosion: Abia community records more death

    About eight days after a Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) pipeline belonging to Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) exploded and killed over 150 indigenes of Umuaduru and Umuimo communities in Osisioma Local Government Area of Abia State, another community in Osisioma has recorded yet the death of other persons.

    While information about the incident was sketchy, conflicting reports have it that occupants of the Audi Car numbering three were reported to have gone to scoop fuel from a leaking pipeline In Uratta Community in Osisioma LGA in front of Nigeria’s indigenous electricity gas plant facility; Geometric Power Station.

    Another story has it that the three persons were on their way to their destination after scooping fuel from the leaking pipeline at Uratta village when the fuel leaked into the exhaust pipe of the car, causing explosion which alerted members of the community. But a source in the community who pleaded not to be named told our reporter that they were yet to unravel the mystery behind the incident.

    Unconfirmed reports have that the three occupants died in the inferno, but sources at the community told our reporter that out of the three occupants, one was roasted while other occupants were suspected to have cheated death by the whiskers.

    A resident of Uratta village, where the incident happened who declined to have his name in print, disclosed that it was the sound of the explosion that woke them up from sleep.

    The source stated that they were yet to know whether the occupants of the vehicle were from their community or not as the car and one of the occupants were burnt beyond recognition and appealed to relevant authorities to come and evacuate the burnt victim to avoid potential outbreak of disease in their community.

    “We heard an explosion at the pipeline area at about 1a.m. We thought people had gone to scoop fuel, but when the day broke, we saw a car with two persons burnt beyond recognition.

    “From the way we saw it, the car was coming from the pipeline route, near the Geometric Power Company when it exploded. It appeared they were carrying fuel in the car which caught fire”, he said.

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    The resident however questioned the usefulness of the location of the Mobile Police Force; Mopol 55 Base, located a stone throw from the scene of the incident , as they couldn’t rise to the occasion of arresting those that escaped if they were pipeline vandals.

    The source also used the opportunity to call on the NNPC maintenance and security unit to ensure that they carry routine checks on pipelines in the community, stressing that they were yet to come out of the trauma that they have suffered in the past one week and cannot stand to lose their own because of what he described as the recklessness of the NNPC and their inability of their staff to do their job.

    Our reporter who visited the community reports that the charred body of the deceased was seen inside the car at the scene of the incident.

    Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corpse, NSCDC, Eke Onyekachi, could not be reached on his mobile number as at the time of the filing this report.

  • Senator Orji, Ikpeazu visit oil explosion sites, as monarch blames NNPC

    The senator representing Abia central senatorial district, Senator Theodore Orji has visited the two communities devastated by oil pipeline explosions in Abia State.

    So have the state governor Okezie Ikpeazu and his wife Nkechi.

    The two communities are Umuimo and Umuaduru in Osisioma council area of the state.

    Death toll of the explosions has risen to 150. Houses and economic crops were also destroyed in the resulting inferno.

    The senator, who was briefed by the traditional ruler of the area, HRH Eze Ikechukwu Chiavoilaefu, said the explosion had a devastating effect on the affected communities.

    Eze Chiavoilaefu said that over 150 people lost their lives, as 70 bodies were evacuated from Umuodara while 80 were taken to the mortuary by several ambulances from Umuimo, another site of the incident.

    The traditional ruler blamed the incident on the inability of the staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to respond to distress calls made to them when the people noticed leakages from their pipelines.

    He said that when the people noticed the leakages they made every effort to get the management of the NNPC to come and repair the damaged pipelines.

    “But to our chagrin they never showed up till the incident happened,” he said.

    Speaking with newsmen after inspecting the sites and visiting the survivors of the pipeline explosion, Senator Orji regretted the inability of the management of NNPC to do the needful on the pipeline which led to the ugly incident.

    Orji said, “If the management of NNPC had heeded the calls of the people from the area to come and repair the leaking pipeline, those who lost their lives and those who have been rendered homeless will not be in the situation they have found themselves now”.

    The senator warned that what happened should be a lesson to people who are living along or near oil pipelines, saying that they should be vigilant at all times and warn those in authority to come and repair their pipelines when there are leakages.

    Orji noted that there is hunger in the land which may have called for people to go for the easy money by trying to scoop petroleum products.

    “There is hunger in the land and even if you post a battalion of soldiers there they will not stop the people from coming to scoop petroleum products from the leaking pipeline.”

    He also blamed the security agents who were alleged by the people from the community to be collecting as much as N1000 from people to allow them to go and scoop the petroleum products from the leaking pipelines.

    The former governor of the state promised to raise the issue at the floor of the senate so that the federal government will come to the aid of the victims and their families, “as many of them have lost their homes, economic crops and means of livelihood”.

    The senator later donated cash to some of the victims currently receiving treatment in various hospitals in Aba and Osisioma, while he also called for immediate supply of medics to the area to avoid outbreak of diseases.

    Earlier, the council chairman of Osisioma council area, Iheyinna Mgbeahuru also blamed the NNPC for the disaster, saying that when the leakages were noticed, “We called the management of NNPC severally for a meeting which they never responded to till today”.

    Mgbeahuru said that the oil pipeline leakages has affected their crops, farmlands and sources of water as all their boreholes have been affected to the extent that they have to buy water from outside their community to drink and do other domestic things.

    He thanked the former governor for showing concern over the plight of members of his senatorial district, “You not only came personally, but made efforts to visit all the sites and those affected which shows that our people mean a lot to you”.

    Governor Ikpeazu also came calling to see things for himself as he visited Umuaduru and Umuimo villages in Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area after the pipeline explosion.

    The governor directed the Commissioner for Petroleum Resources, Chizurum Kanu to immediately inaugurate a commission of inquiry to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the pipeline explosion that affected two communities and led to loss of lives.

    He also directed the Commissioner for Heath, Dr John Ahukannah and Chairman of Osisioma LGA, Mgbeahuru, to visit the surviving victims of the explosion at the various hospitals and ensure that government provided them with adequate medicare as well as pay their medical bills.

    Ikpeazu who cried during the visit described the incident as disheartening and unfortunate and commiserated with the families of those who lost their lives as a result of the pipeline explosion and prayed God to give them the fortitude to bear the loss.

    The next person to call on the pipeline explosion sites was the wife of the governor, Mrs Ikpeazu who also visited victims of the inferno at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) in Aba.

    The wife of the governor shed tears while sympathising with the surviving victims at the teaching hospital

    Mrs. Ikpeazu paid for the treatment of the victims at the hospital and took time to pray for them and she also used the opportunity to pay for the treatment of a 10-year-old boy whose body was burnt by a high tension cable.

     

  • Oil thieves cause of pipeline fire incident in Abia – NNPC

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says the fire incident that happened on System 2E pipeline network  in Umuaduru and Umuimo communities in Abia state was caused by suspected oil thieves.

    The Corporation disclosed this in a statement signed by its spokesman, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, in Abuja, on Friday.

    He said that the allegation that negligence on the part of the corporation  caused the  fire incident Friday last week, was false.

    He affirmed that the incident was triggered off by suspected oil thieves who had hacked into System 2E pipeline network  with a view to intercepting the flow of petrol from Port Harcourt to Aba.

    Ughamadu said the clarification became necessary in view of the recent statement by a legislator indicting NNPC on the fire outbreak which had claimed lives and valuable properties.

    The NNPC spokesperson explained that the presence of items such as jerrycans, among others, at the scene of the incident as contained in the preliminary report on the matter indicated that the activities of vandals in the area ignited the flame.

    He regretted that incessant vandalism of pipeline facilities along System 2Ex Pipeline Right of Way (PROW) has led to the underutilisation of the Enugu Depot, saying that the breaches have prevented the corporation from pumping fuel into it.

    He called on relevant government agencies to collaborate with the corporation to appropriately criminalise vandalism of oil facilities across the country, adding that host communities should also partner the NNPC to tame the scourge.

    Ughamadu prayed that God reposes the souls of the innocent ones that perished in the incident and  warned members of the public against tempering with oil facilities which he described as inflammable(NAN)

     

  • Senate investigates pipeline explosion in Abia

    The Senate has mandated its committees on Petroleum Downstream and Police Affairs to probe alleged role of security operatives in the pipeline explosion in Abia State, where 150 villagers were allegedly killed.

    This followed a motion by Sen. Theodore Orji (PDP-Abia) at plenary on Wednesday.

    Orji lamented that the carnage and avoidable loss of human lives in Osisioma Local Government of the state was worrisome.

    He further expressed concern over alleged inaction of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over the incident.

    Orji alleged that the corporation did not wade into the pipe leak that led to explosion and death of many people early enough to avoid the disaster.

    He also alleged that the Police resorted to collecting money from villagers to scoop petrol in containers.

    “On Friday, the day of the incident, security operatives, particularly policemen allegedly made brisk business at the place of a pipe leak as they allegedly demanded money to allow the villagers scoop petroleum product.

    “There was pipeline leakage in the local government which is part of my constituency and people were killed while properties and farm products worth millions of Naira were destroyed as a result.

    “The number of dead people has continued to increase daily and as at the time of writing this motion, 150 people have been confirmed dead.

    “The explosion and eventual fire outbreak was not as a result of pipeline breakage or vandalism, but due to dereliction of duty by NNPC staff and compromise by the Nigerian Police.

    “There are two oil pipelines across the villages affected. One is an old and abandoned pipeline,” he said.
    Orji called on the senate to wade into the matter.

    Contributing, lawmakers lamented the death and the inaction of relevant authorities and urged the senate to grant Orji’s prayer.

    In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki mandated the Committees on Petroleum Downstream and that of Police Affairs to look into the matter as part of measures to forestall a recurrence.

    Saraki thereafter put the prayer to a voice vote and it unanimously adopted by the lawmakers.

    He asked the committees to report their findings to senate within two weeks.

  • NNPC denies alleged existence of $3.5bn fuel subsidy fund

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC ) on Wednesday denied Senate’s allegation that it had a $3.5 billion fund to surreptitiously subsidise imports of petroleum products.

    The Senate had on Tuesday hinted that it would investigate the fund it said the NNPC was utilising, without subjecting it to parliamentary scrutiny through the national budget.

    NNPC responded in a statement issued by its Spokesman, Ndu Ughamadu, that it did not have $3.5 billion subsidy fund.

    It said a $1.05 billion “National Fuel Support Fund” did exist and was set up by the company “to ensure stability in the petroleum products supply.”

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    The corporation said that the fund was jointly managed by a group of bodies that included the NNPC, the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Finance Ministry.

    It said the fund was domiciled in the central bank and NNPC did not independently spend a dime of it.

    Fuel subsidies are contentious in Africa’s top crude oil producer, which imports most of its gasoline due to under-performing refineries and prices are kept artificially low at N145 ($0.48) per litre.

    As fuel prices increase globally, it has become unprofitable for private petrol marketers to import, with the NNPC stepping in to prevent major shortages.

  • FG considers legal instrument for offshore gas this quarter

    The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu on Monday said that by the end of this October, the Federal Government would have settled the contractual structure that would aid the country to unlock gas offshore  instead of depending solely on the Niger Delta.

    He said that: “Hence, the statement made earlier on that we must ensure that by the end of this quarter, we settle the issues of the contractual framework that would help us unlock those gas resources, so that we have optionality.”

    He spoke at the ongoing Nigerian Gas Association, NGA, 11th International Conference and Exhibition in Abuja.

    Kachikwu who was represented by his Senior Technical Adviser, Upstream and Gas,  Mr. Gbite Adeniji, said that the Federal Government is serious about taking gas to the northern region of the country, through the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano, AKK, gas pipeline, so as to tackle the huge economic challenges witnessed in the region.

    According to him, Nigeria can no longer tolerate a situation where 11 power plants across the country would be forced to shut down, once there is a disruption in gas supply through the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System, ELPS.

    His words: “As  a government, you want to ensure that you have robustness in supply sources and robustness on delivery system. The position we have taken is that we have to look at as many options as possible in terms of supply sources.”

    “Today, we are very dependent on gas supply from the Niger Delta.  The policy position is that we have to look at other terrains to see what is possible. We have discovered huge amount of gas resources in the offshore…

    “It just does not do well that once the ELPS goes down,  11 power plants and many industrial enterprises also go down with them.  That is not the system.  A huge part of investment in there,  but the reality of our life in Nigeria is that it goes down with them. The planning is that we have to create options to the ELPS for Lagos.”

    The minister explained the strategic importance of the AKK pipeline project, noting that the key was to ensure that the project is delivered in a manner that gives confidence to the upstream that there is viable anchor projects to keep it going.

    He stated that until the AKK pipeline comes on stream, the country must look at the possibility of alternative gas supplies into the northern region and into other stranded gas markets in the country.

     

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    “Let us focus a bit on northern nigeria, which is facing quadruple whammy,  which is what I would call it today. It is significantly de-industrialised; there is deforestation going on; there is desertification going on; then the population is booming.

    “Cheap access to energy sources,  is a big solution to these problems on northern Nigeria, which is the key essence of the AKK project.”

    Also speaking, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mr.  Maikanti Baru, lamented the vandalisation of gas pipeline, stating that some oil and gas well had been completely shutdown, and would never resume operations, because of pipeline vandalisation.

    He said,  “I need to bring to the fore some of our key challenges in the gas sector. Believe me, it has not been all that rosy. Today, we face the challenge of pipeline vandalism which has led to shut-in of some of our wells. For some wells, they will never come back on-stream while for others, additional investments will be required to bring them back to production.”

    In addition, he said, “Similarly, there are issues around power transmission and evacuation. Non-evacuation of power has led to back pressure on the transmission lines which has also resulted in shut-in of producer wells. Thus, it is a cyclical challenge. This challenge will definitely dovetail into discussions around National Grid upgrade, Grid decentralisation, Off-grid power, Captive power among a host of alternatives.

    “I will not forget to mention the challenge of funding critical gas infrastructure. In fact, this led to our adoption of the Contractor-financing model for the AKK pipeline. I am sure there are panel sessions to address these challenges in finer details.”

     

  • NNPC challenges host communities on pipeline fires

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC ) has urged host communities to create avenues to avoid continuous destruction of oil pipelines by bad elements in their midst.

    The Group Managing Director, Dr Maikanti Baru made the call following an oil pipeline fire outbreak along the Osisioma axis near Aba Depot in its System 2E pipeline network on Friday.

    A statement by the NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, confirmed fatalities and loss of properties in the inferno.

    He said Baru expressed shock at the wanton destruction of lives and properties occasioned by the incident.

    “The GMD prayed that God reposes the souls of the innocent ones that perished in the incident,” he quoted Baru to have said

    He warned members of the public against tampering with oil and gas facilities many of which were flammable.

    Commenting on the cause of the incident, Ughamadu said the incident might have been caused by suspected oil thieves who had hacked into the line to intercept flow of petrol from Port Harcourt to Aba.

    He said the corporation’s safety experts, along with men of the Abia State Fire Service, had swung into action to contain the situation.

    He assured that updates on the situation would be provided as events unfold.

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    Meanwhile, the Abia command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has confirmed the death of 19 persons, following the explosion in two villages in Osisioma Local Government Area of the state.

    The state Commander of the organisation, Mr Benito Eze, told newsmen on Friday in Umuahia that 16 persons, including one woman, died in the explosion that occurred around 2.47 a.m at Umuaduru Village in Umueze Autonomous Community.

    He also said that three others died in the fire that occurred at about 3 a.m in a private residence at Umuimo Village in the area.