Rido community residents hospitalised after Kaduna refinery gas leak

Residents of Rido Community in Kaduna State have raised alarm over severe environmental pollution caused by Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company (KRPC).

The pollution, attributed to the emission of dangerous gases, has reportedly led to the hospitalization of several villagers.

The Gbagyi Development Union (GDU) has petitioned the Kaduna State Government, urging immediate intervention to protect the community.

According to the petition, the incident occurred on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, when Hydrogen Fluoride gas was accidentally released by KRPC staff. The toxic gas has since contaminated the air, with serious effects on health and agriculture.

GDU Chairman, Ishaya Tanko Damiya, revealed that the gas emission led to withered farmlands and caused some residents to convulse, faint, and vomit.

He said, “The Commissioner of Environment and Natural Resources, Alhaji [Abubakar] Buba, took responsibility for the hospitalization and treatment of nine affected residents of Kafam on Monday, September 2, 2024 At Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, Kaduna.

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“Almost 12 days after the accident, the management of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Corporation has refused to respond to the health challenges posed to the residents of Kafam. Despite the concern displayed by federal agencies namely, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), the management of KRPC insists it will act ONLY AFTER TESTS ARE CONCLUDED. ”

Despite interventions by federal agencies such as the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), KRPC has not yet addressed the health and environmental concerns, citing ongoing tests.

Damiya criticized KRPC for its repeated negligence, noting previous incidents of oil spills and their devastating impact on the environment. He stressed that Hydrogen Fluoride is highly toxic, causing widespread contamination and health issues similar to those experienced during historical nuclear incidents.

The GDU has called for immediate evacuation of affected villagers, cleanup of the area, and provision of medical care. They demand long-term environmental remediation, medical monitoring, and compensation for affected individuals.

He said, “The August 28, 2024 accident is not the first. Six others, including oil spills since the 1990s which resulted in devastation of farmlands and the loss of aquatic life in surrounding streams and River Romi have happened. The attitude of the KRPC management has been the same, i.e. that of unconcern. It has never taken steps to remedy the situation or limit the chances of recurrence.

“The leadership of GDU views the attitude of KRPC management as arrogant, nonchalant, irresponsible and insensitive to the accident because Hydrogen Fluoride gas is highly toxic and corrosive. Its impacts include withering of plants and farm crops; contamination of well water (thereby affecting underground water, streams and rivers); difficulty in briefing (which occurred when members of the commissioner’s entourage visited Kafam); and sustained greenish stooling and vomiting as occurred to the nine persons hospitalized on September 2, 2024.

“These impacts are similar to what happened in Japan (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) when the US dropped Hydrogen bombs during World War 11. Yet, despite being aware of the magnitude and danger to human life of what happened, the management of KRPC is unconcerned. This is because; a release of Hydrogen Fluoride gas requires emergency response.

“Such responses include evacuation of the area to prevent inhalation or skin contact; immediate medical attention; containment measures to be undertaken to prevent further spread and neutralization of contaminated sites. The KRPC management has not addressed these immediate remediation, medium-term and long-term measures to address the recurring incidence of gas leaks and oil spill in the area.”

The community leaders also urged the international community and environmental groups to provide assistance.

They have called for an apology from KRPC and warned of potential legal action if their demands are not met, including pursuing claims with the ECOWAS Court of Justice, the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Court of Justice.

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Damiya said, “Therefore, we demand, among other things, that the KRPC management should order immediate evacuation of the villagers to limit further exposure; commence clean-up exercise of the area and provide immediate medical care. Further to that, affected villagers should be decontaminated and offered effective specialist medical attention while appropriate environmental remediation should be undertaken. Despite taking long, remediation of the environment can still be done through neutralization processes.

“Also, there should be long time medical monitoring/surveillance of farmlands and humans to identify and manage the health effects of the accident, while surrounding communities should be educated about the dangers of Hydrogen Fluoride gas leaks and how to respond. Soil and water bodies should be accorded immediate and adequate attention to clean up affected areas. Finally, adequate compensation should be paid to victims and the loss of farm crops.

“Let me be clear that we believe the Gbagyi are faced with mass deaths and future birth defects and deformity engendered by the attitude of the KRPC management which is unacceptable to us. We will no longer tolerate its arrogant insensitivity and negligence even though we are peace-loving people. Presently, we are exploring all possible response measures to avoid possible mass deaths.

“While appreciating the concern of, and the action, taken by the Kaduna State Government so far, we wish to call on the international community, especially environmental groups and the Red Cross, to come to our aid. As a people, we are endangered species faced with possible extermination through other means.

“We demand an unreserved apology from the management of NNPC/ KRPC within one week of this press conference. We would not hesitate to take legal action in respect of the unwarranted negligence act of the above management, such action which may include approaching the ECOWAS Court of Justice at Abuja, African Court of Human and Peoples Rights at Addis Ababa and even the International Court of Justice at the Hague for the enforcement of our Rights including Right to Life and Environment e.t.c. ”