After a devastating explosion at an illegal oil refinery in Imo State, a mass funeral was organized for the victims
An explosion at an illegal refinery in southern Nigeria that killed more than 100 people has drawn attention to the lucrative world of illegal refining, a world that BBC's Mayeni Jones and Josephine Casserly have been investigating.
Hours of cars, motorcycles and walking took us to a remote illegal oil refinery that was recently raided and closed by authorities.
Before seeing anything, the smell of the oil first reaches the nostrils. Then, the lush green vegetation disappeared and we reached a pitch-black clearing.
There was an oil pit on the floor with charred black trunks bubbling up on it. The earth was scorched and looked like a volcanic eruption scene.
Illegal refineries are hidden in streams in the Niger Delta
It is part of the creeks of the Niger Delta, a dense network of waterways in southern Nigeria.
There was a shimmer of oil on the surface of the water, and what must have been mangroves was now a pile of bare gray branches, their roots stained with oil.
We were accompanied by local politician Chidi Lloyd and his team, who explained how the stolen crude oil was transported here by ship.
In the middle of the open space are two large rusty metal crucibles, where crude oil is refined or "cooked".
Illegal refineries are at the center of complex criminal networks
Light a fire in a pit underneath the cauldron to heat and condense the crude oil into different petroleum products from kerosene to diesel. The heated oil is then collected into a cooling chamber.
But the process doesn't always go as planned — when it fails, it causes an explosion, which can be fatal, like last Friday's.
The huge death toll reflects how illegal oil refining over the past decade has become a huge employer in the Niger Delta — in a country where unemployment is soaring.
Workers camp at such refineries for weeks at a time, often at night for a highly organized business that involves technical, logistical and financial expertise.
The government estimates that more than $3 billion (£2.4 billion) of oil was stolen last year. This crude oil is extracted from official pipelines and then refined in bushes to be sold or exported on the black market in Nigeria.
Soot or 'hunger'?
The pollution caused by these refineries is not only felt nearby.
The gases produced in oil extraction are often burned rather than reused, a practice that pollutes the air and is called gas combustion. But it's not just informal refineries — though it's illegal — that oil companies are doing the same.
The water in the creek was blackened by oil
But as the illicit oil business grew, natural gas burning intensified and air pollution worsened.
Drive into Port Harcourt, the main city in the Niger Delta, and you can see it at a glance.
A thick cloud of black soot hung in the air, sometimes so dense that nothing could be seen from 30 meters (100 feet) away.
After a night of sleep in town, despite closing the windows, there was still a black residue around the nose. A doctor at a local hospital said he was seeing more and more patients suffering from respiratory diseases linked to pollution.
But some, like Osah, who lives in a mansion in the city, ask us not to use his real name, thinking it's a price worth paying.
He told us in a soft voice that he ran two illegal oil refineries and was involved in supplying stolen oil, as well as refining and selling it.
His collection of luxury sports cars and swimming pools hint at his wealth.
"Isn't it better to live in a polluted environment than to starve to death?" If you're hungry, what do you smell?
"If the cause of pollution is creating enough money for everyone's life, you'll even forget there's pollution," he said.
"Modern Robin Hood"
Some people who have not been able to find work elsewhere agree.
A photographer in his 30s told us how he started working in an oil refinery in the jungle when he couldn't find enough work.
He "cooked" crude oil — producing a lot of smoke that workers inhaled. He said they would run into the creek when it went wrong and exploded, but that didn't always bring safety, just like oil on the surface of the water would catch fire.
The danger involved forced him to stop.
Illegal refineries have damaged nearby land and waterways
But a computer science graduate dabbled in the industry after struggling to find a professional job, so there were fewer concerns about safety issues — even as a woman on a creek.
She is in her 40s, with long hair and silver earrings, and uses her boat to transport oil drums between refineries: "I'm a woman by the river, and it's not hard for us. ”
People involved in the illegal trade tell us that if the government intends to crack down on illegal refineries — as River State Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike did — steps need to be taken to provide jobs.
They also believe that, given the involvement of all sectors of society, including law enforcement, the illicit trade will not stop easily.
Osah said he often paid bribes to protect his refinery from attacks: "Everybody was involved. This is organized crime. ”
Meanwhile, police are investigating the Governor of Rivers on allegations that a senior official runs an illegal refinery.
After a fire broke out at an illegal oil refinery in Imo State last week, only the burned wreckage of the car remained
For Osaha, illegal refining isn't just about making money. He considered himself a Robin Hood figure, stealing from oil companies to the people.
He said his hometown is a very productive place for oil companies, but the local people are still poor and lack basic amenities, he said.
"We've seen so much injustice. What happened to the local community? Nothing! zero!
"This is our property. It's my own, you took it, what do you give me? So now everyone has a taste of black gold, [and] how useful it is to society. ”