THE OPERATION STOP ILLEGAL REFINERY AKA KPO-FIRE BY GOV NYESOM WIKE, WAS IT DON IN A SELECTED AREA IN THE STATE? RIVERS PEOPLEEOPLE ASK

One month ago the Governor of Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike conveyed the 23 local council chairmen of the state, asking them to hire bulldozers and destroy every identified illegal crude oil bunkering and illegal refinery in their LGA. The meeting also involve the commissioner of police, and the NSCDC Commander in the state.

The Governor gave this order on Wednesday 12 January 2022 in a statement issued by his media aide, Kelvin Ebiri, after meeting with the council chairmen, the State commissioner of police and the commandant of the civil defence in Port Harcourt.

He urge the Commissioner of Police in the state, Eboka Friday, to provide sufficient security for the council chairmen as they kick-off on the mass destruction of illegal refinery sites, giving the chairmen 48 hours ultimatum to serve him kin list of all illegal refinery in their jurisdiction.

The governor said with the receipt of the list of identified illegal refinery sites, the state government would provide financial assistance to the LGA chairmen to hire bulldozers and swamp buggies for the purpose of destroying all the sites.

"I will not relent in this fight. And all of you should hire bulldozers. All those areas where the illegal refinery sites are in the bush, in the creek, clear the place. Government will give you some money to go and hire bulldozers to go and clear the sites so that they will know we are serious,” he said.

The Governor also stressed that government will not allow those engaged in illegal syndicate to operate in Rivers State.

“One thing I want to say and which is very clear, and like everybody knows, I am not against anybody making money. But we cannot allow people to make money, while others are dying,” he stated.

But in the early hours of today Thursday 17 February 2022, the cloud  was very thick with soot, at the Apkajo area of the Eleme Local Government Area which last for hours, and 

brought question from the people of the state asking if the operation end block soot and illegal refinery didn't affect Eleme LGA in the State, or is there more we have to know about the operation?

Rivers people asked.