President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the nation’s armed forces, security and intelligence agencies to intensify the clampdown on illegal refineries in the country.
His action followed the reported deaths of tens of people Friday night after an illegal refinery exploded at Abaezi forest in the Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.
In a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, Buhari described the incident as a “catastrophe and a national disaster,”
He maintained that the responsibility for the loss of lives and property must squarely lie with the sponsors of the illegal refinery, who must all be caught and made to face justice.
He urged community leaders, the police, and the secret service to never allow the occurrence of the heart-breaking incident in any part of the country again.
