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.
