Chidi Lloyd, the former majority leader of the state House of Assembly and chairman of the Emuoha Local Government Area in Rivers State, speaks with Dennis Naku about the March 3, 2023 explosion in the Rumuekpe community, which resulted in at least 15 deaths and numerous injuries, as well as the council’s and the state government’s efforts to address pipeline vandalism.
How did you learn about the explosion that occurred in the Rumuekpe neighborhood on March 3, 2023, and what exactly happened?
I learned that there had been a fatal explosion at around 5.30 am from the internal security organization, EMOVIS, which the local government had established. I arrived at the explosion site around 9 am and, to my dismay, saw that many lives had been lost. There were about six burned vehicles. There were human corpses that were so badly burned that they were no longer recognizable. Therefore, it makes sense that as a human, one would approach that kind of information with considerable trepidation. I was therefore extremely saddened, especially since we had done everything possible to discourage our people from participating in this kind of trade—going to gather crude oil for refinement. I’ve always warned them about the risks associated with illegally refining crude (oil). They lack the skills necessary to carry out these actions. So, that is the exact situation with regard to that issue.
According to the police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the explosion killed 12 people. Is that number accurate?
Yes, roughly that amount (of people died). Later, three more people passed away in the hospital. The total number of fatalities there now stands at 15.
How many people suffered harm?
Numerous other people had minor burns here and there, so there were plenty of injured people. As I just mentioned, three patients later passed away in the hospital.
Were there any elderly or young victims among the victims?
Yes, children and women were mentioned. In fact, I heard that a specific woman had been summoned from home to come and bag some things (crude oil). People claimed that she was skilled at bagging crude (oil). There, she was reduced to ashes. That was a terrible way for the woman to pass away. It’s really sad.
On October 22, 2021, a similar incident occurred, and not fewer than 20 people lost their lives in another community. Why does it keep happening?
You are aware that Emuoha was one of the local government areas that took on the cabal head-on and succeeded in restoring our environment after the governor of Rivers State gave the order for us to combat the threat of illegal bunkering. Black soot and other pollutants were no longer inhaled by people. But these boys (vandals) have picked up energy and vigor as they continue their illegal refining. As I’ve previously stated, however, I’ve always charged the military, police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, and foreign oil companies with complicity in this heinous act. After all, if the boys scoop fuel but don’t transport it, the business will cease. I’ve been informed that they take it all the way to Imo State. How do they succeed, then? Additionally, you will observe various forms of monitoring while driving. So, how do they (the vandals) move the goods when there are so many security personnel on the road?
Following the explosion, some locals protested the absence of employment opportunities. Do you think some locals might have scooped the product out of necessity?
Not at all, no. People have always been cautioned against digging a hole to hide another one. They won’t even have room if everyone who is unemployed starts an illegal bunkering operation. Therefore, you cannot attribute that level of criminality to poverty. We advised them to join the council as partners if they wanted to have gainful employment. The council has a unit dedicated to developing human capacity. Give them your information, and we’ll figure out how to interact with you—not for you to go destroy vital infrastructure and blame poverty. It is as a result of their income. The driving factor in that industry (pipeline vandalism) is luck. They earn money quickly. The issue they face is that.
Oil pipelines are meant to be safeguarded. Was the pipeline in your domain not protected and was it destroyed by suspected vandals? Or do you think that those in charge of keeping the pipelines safe must have worked with the thieves?
Yes, it was vandalized, not just possibly vandalized. Vandals who went there to collect oil destroyed it. Additionally, the pipeline was not secured. I’ve heard that jobs have been distributed to ensure the safety of pipelines. Maybe the Rumuekpe trunk line isn’t included. When I saw a group of boys wearing coveralls there, I enquired after their purpose. It was discovered that the boys who came here (to Rumuekpe) brought high-tech rifles. I recall that the governor of Rivers State was not even given a courtesy call to give him a pat on the back and say, “Okay, good,” when we were fighting this war here and the Minister (of State) for Petroleum (Resources) came here with the Group Managing Director of the NNPCL and the Chief of Army Staff. This has been started by the state, and so on. The governor of the state was unheard. They simply arrived and continued. After finishing, everyone returned to Abuja. Without the assistance of the locals, you cannot eliminate this threat. The locals will take part. It’s necessary to involve the local government. When do they (vandals) know when this crude is passing, IOCs, I have always asked. It is therefore a cartel.
I once brought up a divisional police officer in this local government who ran an illegal refinery. The director had been charged with spying on the NSCDC by the state governor. As a result, they (security agents) come here, destroy the environment, and make money.
According to reports, Emuoha is one of the state’s hubs for illegal oil bunkering, and there have been a number of fire outbreaks. What do you think about that?
The geographic center of the country is Emuoha. It is as a result of the proximity of these gas and oil facilities. It’s not as if it were anything else. It is close to raw materials, and we have experts traveling from Delta and Bayelsa states to complete this. Because of this, only my people experience fire damage. People who benefit financially from it reside in a number of five-star hotels in Port Harcourt.
In January 2022, Governor Nyesom Wike gave the 23 local government chairmen the order to demolish all illegal refineries. How many unauthorized refineries have you obliterated?
Yes, the governor gave us the go-ahead to find and destroy the illicit refineries. In Ibaa, Elele-Alimini, Ubimini, and Umudioga, I have destroyed several. Colony Elele-Alimini was. Everyone from Rumuji to Ubimini was involved. Two days ago (on Monday), I received a call informing me that the vandals had begun returning after the fire. You can see that the government needs to do more than just acknowledge this threat.
What is the monetary value of the destroyed illegal refineries?
It is in the range of several million Naira because you require more than N30m to establish a refinery. This is a result of your extensive pipeline system. Therefore, it is not intended for the underprivileged. Some people even quit working for multinational oil companies to come and look for locations to engage in illicit oil bunkering.
How many people have been detained so far?
Because we are unable to bring charges, I made a number of arrests and turned the suspects over to the police. We make an arrest, hand it over to the police, and they will go ahead and file charges. My work here is done. However, we are not particularly pleased with how the Federal Government handled our situation. The efforts of the Rivers State Government were not even acknowledged by the Federal Government. Because the environment belongs to us, we are acting as we are. The Federal Government’s environment does not exist.
The governor issued a warrant for the arrest of 19 people for illegal bunkering in January 2022. Among them were Mr. India of the Rumuolumeni community and Commander Azubike Adi of OSPAC, Ogbogoro community, and Chairman of Akpor Central OSPAC. They were they detained and charged?
The Emuoha Local Government is this (Area). I might not be qualified to comment on those topics.
Do some illegal refinery owners in Rivers State really have no enemies?
I have no idea who attempted to touch them. It occurs when you attempt to touch. They are not being sought after. Three people were arrested after I reported them to my local government. All of them are now free to roam the streets. After their initial arrest, the Department of State Services arrived and conducted a road show. These are the factors that encourage crime. When criminals go unpunished, it encourages others to commit crimes and puts the lives of those who report them in danger.
You claimed that security personnel were involved in this illicit activity. How does this impact the state government’s efforts to solve the issue?
It significantly impacted the conflict. The Federal Government and its agencies took over the conflict when they arrived here. We therefore decided to leave. We unwind. Sincerely, protecting oil pipelines is not the responsibility of the local government. To perform that, people are paid. Our environment is the reason we are doing it. People were lobbying to be posted to Rivers State because it was profitable, but we said no because we needed to retake our state. We took that action. The Federal Government offered us no help at all.
Some of the alleged owners of the illegal refineries in the state are well-known politicians. Ist das so?
It’s not true, no. Clearly, talking is cheap. Mention them. Let’s expose each other. There are those who have been taken into custody. Politicians they? What party do they represent, if they are politicians? They should be given names. There are records at DSS. I have pounded the DSS state director with the suspects’ names and phone numbers.
What impact do illicit refineries have on the state’s efforts to increase its own internal revenue and provide public infrastructure?
Everything is threatened by illegal oil refining. We observed a tremendous increase in federal allocations during the time frame when the Rivers State governor issued the directive to each of the local government chairmen. Naturally, it dovetails when there is a quantum leap in federal allocation. It has an impact on everything else.
What financial losses do illegal refineries cause the state?
It would not be charitable to remain silent in this situation. But from a layperson’s perspective, we are actually losing money. Is losing a kobo not already terrible enough? Even losing one kobo of the money that would have gone into the government’s coffers and been used to give the populace the benefits of good governance is a terrible thing. It’s already very bad. Therefore, it can’t be billions of dollars. It’s already very bad. I informed you that since the conflict involved oil production, the Federal Government benefited financially during the height of the conflict. As a result, when vandals steal, less is produced by the joint venture partners for the federal government. So, it will inevitably have an impact on everything else.
Some claim that the existence of unauthorized refineries proves Nigeria’s ability to refine its crude oil if local expertise can be improved upon and harnessed. What do you think about that?
Simple is how I feel. Technology is advancing. Today’s refineries are not like the ones from the past, where you had a big space. It is now only what is referred to as a modular refinery thanks to technology. Remember how the Federal Government, through the Vice-President, who traveled to the Niger Delta states, promised modular refineries in the early years of this administration. Even though their term is coming to an end in about three months, nobody is bringing up the modular refineries that the president proposed. Thus, that is the problem. These illegal oil refineries are now the backbone of the economy, so you can use their technology. Nobody was receiving diesel when we began fighting them. Diesel prices skyrocketed. We had no idea that these boys were responsible for supplying the filling stations.
During the presidential and National Assembly elections, Emuoha made headlines for acts of violence, including the murder of a pregnant woman and a local vigilante. Why are the state’s elections so violent?
That incident had nothing to do with the election, no. In Ubimini, that is. Let me explain what took place. It is obvious that the election’s police commissioner was present. He arrived at the scene. Elections had nothing to do with it; it was cult-related.
But according to the evidence, it took place close to a voting unit. Did it not?
No, the crime is not made more legitimate by its proximity to the crime scene. The neighborhood watchman went to where two criminals were dragging a rifle to disarm them. A stray bullet that was fired during that incident struck the expecting mother. They went on after realizing the pregnant woman had passed away. According to what I’ve been told, the weapon (a pump-action rifle with several bullets inside) actually fired. The thing exploded again, killing one of them because they weren’t skilled in using weapons.
During the election, there were also reports of violence in isolated areas, including the theft of ballot boxes.
(Short cut) Emuoha was not surprised by it. In this local government area, the election on February 25 has been deemed the best thus far. The regional administration is secured. Here, I am in charge.
What security measures are you taking as the person in charge to prevent violence during the governorship and House of Assembly elections?
Elections will happen without incident. Exactly why won’t there be peace? The governor came across a human community in Odido, not far from my village. They haven’t ventured outside to interact with other people. Rappers used to be tied there because people are less civilized, but the governor provided infrastructure. They now have a road.
(TNT)
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