An early morning fire on Saturday gutted a section of the Port Harcourt Refinery complex at Alesa, Eleme.
It was not certain what caused the fire, but it took several hours for the fire to be brought under control by the fire department of the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited.
Security personnel at the complex however barred people from gaining access. They also refused talking to the press on the issue.
“Did they invite you?” asked the head of the security unit at the main gate, when our Correspondent sought to talk to officials.
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However after going inside to consult with other personnel, the security head returned to say that it was a minor incident which has been brought under control. “I will advise that you come back on Tuesday when official work resumes to see people that can address your questions,” he said.
The refinery has been out of operations for over four years now. In March last year, a contract was signed between the Nigerian government and Tecnimont, an Italian firm to execute a turnaround maintenance of the refinery at the sum of $1.5 billion.
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