…Sets Up Committee To Unravel Cause
The Executive Chairman of Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State, Prince (Hon) Gerald Oforji has commiserated with the victims of the oil pipeline explosion that sent scores of persons who were scooping oil from broken pipeline to their early grave especially the palm wine tappers who were caught in the web.
Speaking with newsmen at the scene of the fire outbreak at Kom-Kom near Oyigbo over the weekend, he described the incidence as one of the most terrible ways of dying.
He promised to call a meeting of Oyigbo stakeholders on Wednesday June 26, 2019 for them to deliberate and proffer solution to the ugly incidence at the council headquarters at Afam.
He however could not ascertain the actual casualties but informed that some of the dead bodies were burnt beyond recognition.
According to the chairman, at the meeting it’s likely that a committee would be raised to look into the immediate and remote cause of the explosion with a view to preventing future reoccurrence and possible compensation for the victims.
Hon. Oforji however used the opportunity to caution Oyigbo LG youths especially those from Kom-Kom Community to look for other sources of livelihood and definitely not through vandalization of oil pipeline or scooping oil product from broken pipelines as according to him, it is a dangerous venture, warning that people should learn to control their quest of making money by all means.
“It is very sad for families to loose their loved ones in such an avoidable venture perhaps because of the economic situation in the country.
“There are many other decent and less dangerous ways of making a living”, he noted.
Asked to narrate what actually happened and how his office reacted to the explosion, Hon Oforji said when the news came to him early on that faithful Saturday June 22, 2019, he raced down to the scene with his team.
“At the scene, we made efforts to combat the fire and as well called the fire service department who quickly responded but could do little or nothing to stop the inferno because the solution was to stop the flow from the source which was not possible at that point in time and so the fire raged on and consumed anything on its way into the canals” including buildings”.
The council boss stated that after about 2 hours, they could only succeed in recovering some dead bodies and counted their loses before they left.
The chairman however, informed that he left his Chief Security Officer, (CSO), Mr. Francis Nwankwo to relate with him any other eventuality for further attention as he attended to other urgent matters.
