The Commissioner of Police in Abia State , Mr. Anthony Ogbizi , has said 24 persons have been confirmed dead from a pipeline explosion in two communities in the state.
The CP disclosed this shortly after he visited the scenes of the explosion at Umuaduru and Umuimo in the Osisioma
Local Government Area of the state.
The explosion reportedly occurred in the
early hours of Friday,October 12, 2018 .
He said the explosion occurred due to spillage from a pipeline used to pump petrol from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation depot in Aba.
He said ,
“ According to the information from the NNPC depot manager in Aba, the spillage occurred from a pipeline that was undergoing maintenance. They were instructed test run the pipeline to ascertain its level of functionality. When we visited the two communities , we were informed that 14 people were reported dead at Umuimo village, while 10 died at Umuduru
community. Some of victims who sustained various degrees of burns were said to be asleep when the incident occurred . They
were said to have been taken to nearby hospitals and traditional medicine homes for treatment .’’
Ogbizi said the police and other security agencies in the state were investigating the plausible cause of the explosion.
Meanwhile , the state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu , has visited the two communities affected by the explosion.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Enyinnaya Appolos , the governor directed the state Commissioner for Petroleum Resources , Mr Chizurum Kanu , to immediately inaugurate a Commission of Inquiry to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the explosion.
Ikpeazu also directed the state Commissioner for Heath, Dr John Ahukannah and Chairman of Osisioma Local Government, Ihenyinna Mgbeahuru, to visit the survivors in the various hospitals and ensure adequate provision of medical care for them and payment of their bills.