20th July, 2012
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
It was like a day of fire disasters. Fuel tankers laden with Petroleum products suspected to be diesel were today set on fire by the Joint Task Force,JTF,operation Pulo Shield along Eneka/Abali road Port Harcourt.
Elsewhere at Abuloma jetty also in the Rivers state capital, there was also an explosion that occurred during the welding of a barge for loading Petroleum products.
The Rivers state owned newspaper, THETIDE group of newspaper was also burnt down.
Just as the fire was burning the five tankers at the Eneka road,youths were at the scene scooping the diesel.
Captain Sunny Samuel confirmed to PMNEWS on telephone that the JTF set fire on the tankers bacause they were used for illegal bunkering activities.
The scooping of petroleum products this morning by Eneka youths happened exactly a week after the petrol tanker fire disaster at Okogbe in Ahoada West that has claimed 200 lives.
Nine decomposing corpses were found yesterday in the bush around the disaster scene.
The administrative building of the state newspaper building publishers of THE TIDE newspaper was also on fire this morning. Sources suspected that the fire started from an electrical fault from electrical appliances.
Mr Celestine Ogolo,the General Manager of the Corporation said “I can’t say what is the exact cause of the fire now, we are waiting on the experts to come and examine what is exactly the cause. The most possible reason we can adduce, honestly is that of an electrical fault. That is what we are thinking but we can’t say for sure until the experts come”.
Ogolo further said that the commissioner for Information and Communications Mrs Ibim Semenitari, is working so hard to ensure that an alternative arrangement is made for the administrative section of the corporation to be accommodated, so that all the staff who have been affected by this incident are comfortable.
Those affected are those working in the office of the GM, the Administrative general office, the legal unit, the credit control unit and the boardroom.
For the Abuloma Jetty explosion no casualty has so far been reported as fire service and other emergency response services have moved to the scene.As at press time no casualty reported.