metro
KPOFIRE: Woman leaves her three children in a boat, returns to meet them all burnt
– Another mother, her one month old baby burnt too in Port Harcourt serial fire outbreaks
For three consecutive days, destructive fire outbreaks, fueled by unsafe, indiscriminate storing and movement of illegally refined petroleum products, better known as “kpofire” wrecked havoc in parts of Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital city.
The infernos caused death, injuries and disruptions of livelihoods. Beyond that, the serial fire outbreaks also exposed failures of key stakeholders in checking the resilience of oil thieves and illicit producers of ‘kpofire’.
The serial fires started the night of Saturday 20 Novembers at No 1 Isiokpo Street, D-Line, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area (LGA), where illegally refined fuel stored in a presumed abandoned warehouse went up in flames, stretching as far as 50meters to surrounding property.
Uche Okoro, resident in the neighborhood said, “Once set off, the fire spread through the spilled fuel along the gutters, burning cars parked on the street. In the collateral damage, it burnt surrounding buildings and warehouses, including a church and razed part of the Port Harcourt center of the National Institute of Information Technology, NIIT.
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“Big tankers, power generating sets, 40ft container and goods inside the warehouses were also burnt down, with the huge loss estimated at tens of millions of naira.”
Victims were still lamenting the huge losses when residents in Rumuokoro, Obio/Akpor LGA raised alarm Sunday afternoon on another destructive fire, this time in an even bigger illicit petroleum products distribution site.
A witness narrated, “from about noon, it razed the uncompleted building where it started and narrowly missed an adjacent big branch of a commercial bank along the East-West Road. Other property behind were also affected before intervention from fire service.”
Inside the uncompleted building where it started were concealed over 20 tanks of illegally refined products. The front of the building was a warehouse for bags of rice, spaghetti and cartons of tin tomatoes among other foodstuff. All were burnt. A large underground tank filled with illegally refined products was not torched.
Fatal dimension
The third incident, the Port Harcourt serial outbreaks assumed fatal dimension at the Bonny/Bille jetties of the Nembe Waterside, Port Harcourt City LGA.
From the inferno that lasted several hours, Nnamdi Omoni, Police Public Relations Officer, Rivers Command, confirmed recovery of four bodies. A careless smoker reportedly ignited a wooden passenger/cargo boat offloading volumes of illegally refined fuel. Among the dead recovered were three children. They were siblings.
Eyewitnesses suspect the death toll is far more. A witness simply identified as Johnson narrated, “Children, and many others are fear dead. The boat was parked beside 6 others, one of them loaded passengers, another with timber, crayfish, garri, kerosene and other food items waiting to take off.
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“You know where they used to bring fuel and diesel, even the jetty water was covered with so much of the mix of highly inflammable products spilled on the water that any contact could spread wildfire. The spark from the cigarette caught the fire. All the seven boats and their contents were razed.
Another witness who saw it all happen, in his own account, said, “my greatest pain were the children killed. A mother left her three children in the boat to go buy items onshore. They were burnt before she could return to save them. One of two victims said to have been rushed to hospital was said to have died, news just filtered now.”
Madam Elijah, another observer said, “A baby of a month old and the mother, roasted because of carelessness. People were offloading product from a boat and a man was smoking. I don’t know what he did, next thing we saw was fire burst from the offloading boat. Since the place is already saturated with oil and various fuel products, the fire became uncontrollable.
“Heavy wind helped spread the fire to umbrellas and tables of traders buying and selling. Fire service personnel who came in were driven away by traders for perceived late response when much damage had been done.”
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Leader of Crayfish and fish sellers at the Nembe Bille water front, Henrietta Simeon lamented that their goods worth millions of naira were destroyed by the fire.
Govt reacts
Rivers Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, Peter Meede had, on assessment of the colossal damages announced that investigations have begun to find lasting solutions.
On the immediate action, he said, “The Rivers government has dedicated two telephone lines for people to report unwholesome practices in the state. We have warned severally that when you see and you don’t report, when it happens, it is your own property that would be destroyed, it is your own life that could be lost.
With the impunity with which indulgence in oil theft and ‘kpofire’ thrive in Rivers, only a very few persons have confidence in the responses from government and the police.
Vanguard
Entertainment
Gospel singer Kekere Jesu, fiancée, two others confirmed dead in Ogun accident
Gospel singer Kekere Jesu, fiancée, two others confirmed dead in Ogun accident
Four popular gospel ministers, including Evangelist Ayodeji David, popularly known as Kekere Jesu and his fiancée died in an accident along the Ikorodu–Sagamu Road in Ogun State.
The Federal Road Safety Corps confirmed the incident in a statement by the Ogun State Commander and Public Information Officer, Florence Okupe, on Monday.
The deceased were reportedly enroute a ministry assignment at the time of the incident.
Following the announcement of his death, tributes have poured in on social media from followers, church members and colleagues.
The founder of Christ Apostolic Church, Grace of Mercy Prayer Mountain International Ministry, Prophet Sam Olu Alo, in a statement on his Facebook page said: “Unquestionable God!! Hmmmmnnn…..This is indeed a Rude Shock today. But Who are we to question God.. For His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His ways are Higher than our ways…”
According to the FRSC, the crash occurred when the vehicle conveying the gospel ministers collided with another that killed all four occupants instantly.
The accident reportedly involved multiple vehicles and claimed over 24 lives.
Preliminary investigations pointed to over speeding and poor visibility as contributing factors to the fatal crash.
Kekere Jesu, and his senior brother’s wife have been laid to rest while the remains of his deceased P.A was taken to Ado-Ekiti and his deceased fiancée was transferred to her family for interment.
Kere Jesu’s next apostolic crusade tagged ‘Fast Lane Conference’ with the theme, ‘Breakout’, was billed for Ekiti State on April 19, 2025.
metro
Diamond Bank founder, Pascal Dozie, dies a day before turning 86
Diamond Bank founder, Pascal Dozie, dies a day before turning 86
Founder of the defunct Diamond Bank Plc and former chairman of MTN Nigeria, Pascal Gabriel Dozie, has died at the age of 85.
A report by Vanguard quoted family sources as saying he died in the early hours of Tuesday, April 8, 2025, just a day before his 86th birthday, after a battle with an ailment.
Dozie was best known as the founder of Diamond Bank, one of Nigeria’s most innovative financial institutions before its merger with Access Bank.
He served as the bank’s chairman before handing over leadership to his son, Uzoma Dozie.
Dozie is survived by his wife, Chinyere Dozie, and five children among others.
metro
Bauchi accountant-general Sirajo Jaja arraigned for alleged N8.3bn fraud
Bauchi accountant-general Sirajo Jaja arraigned for alleged N8.3bn fraud
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned the Bauchi State Accountant-General, Sirajo Muhammad Jaja, for alleged N8.3 billion fraud.
He was arraigned alongside Aliyu Abubakar, a bureau de change operator, and his company, Jasfad Resources Enterprise.
The defendants were arraigned on a nine-count charge bordering on money laundering, diversion of public funds, and criminal misappropriation of funds to the tune of N8,380,626,430.95.
The arraignment took place before O.A. Egwuatu, a judge at the federal high court in Abuja.
“That you, Aliyu Abubakar, Jasfad Resources Enterprise (a Bureau de Change operator), and Ibrahim Kashim (former Secretary to the Bauchi State Government, now at large), sometime between January 5, 2024, and December 10, 2024, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, committed an offence to wit: money laundering by converting and transferring the sum of Two Billion, Eight Hundred and Eight Million, Five Hundred and Ninety-Five Thousand, One Hundred Naira (N2,808,595,100.00) of public funds belonging to the Bauchi State Government from the Bauchi State Expenditure Account, domiciled in United Bank for Africa with account number 1022197086 into the account of Jasfad Resources Enterprise, also domiciled in United Bank for Africa with account number 1023444660, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(2)(b) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022,” part of the charge sheet reads.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Other defendants, including Ibrahim Kashim, a former secretary to the Bauchi state government; Aminu Hammayo, secretary to the Bauchi government; Saleh Mohammed; and Balarabe Abdullahi, are currently at large.
After the defendants took their pleas, Abba Mohammed, the counsel to the prosecution, asked for a trial date and prayed that the defendants be remanded at the correctional facility.
However, Mohammed Ndayako, the defence counsel representing the first and second defendants, and Chris Uche, counsel to the third defendant, moved applications for their clients’ bail.
Uche told the court that the Bauchi accountant-general, who is the third defendant, played an important role in the financial operations of the state, noting that he is already on administrative bail.
The counsel prayed that the court grant Jaja bail on self-recognition or release him to the attorney-general of Bauchi, who would undertake to produce him in court.
Opposing the application, the prosecution counsel told the court that the third defendant is not residing in Abuja, arguing that he is a flight risk.
After listening to the arguments, Egwuatu granted bail to the defendants in the sum of N200 million each with two sureties in like sum.
The trial judge ruled that the two sureties must be residents of Abuja, and one of them must be a federal government employee not below grade level 17.
The judge also ordered the defendants to submit their passports to the court registrar.
Pending the fulfillment of the bail conditions, the court released the third defendant to Hassan Yakubu, attorney-general of Bauchi state.
The other defendant was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja.
The case was adjourned to June 17 for commencement of trial.
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