Immediate action to mitigate the environmental and health impacts has been demanding by members of Kampan community near the Kaduna Refining amd Petrochemical Company (KRPC).
They claim that the waste products from the refinery is affecting their children and farm lands in the area
The aggrieved locals who came out in large numbers blocked the entrance of the KRPC during a protest on Friday, said many of their children were in hospital as a result of inhaling the toxic waste.
The locals who were mostly women and children, demanded compensation for damages caused by “a toxic chemical discharged from the refinery.”
“The chemical discharged had destroyed our farms, killed our animals. It is threatening our health, we are no longer strong and our wives have started complaining,” the men alleged .
The locals carried various placards with slogans thus: “KRPC has completely destroyed our crops”, “KRPC has poisoned us with toxic chemicals”, “Kapam Community in danger: KRPC’s actions are devastating us,” “KRPC has ruined our lives. We will not tolerate this!”
“Our children are suffering because of the negligence of KRPC. They inhaled the toxic chemical and now they are lying in the hospital, fighting for their lives. We can’t afford to lose them. We demand justice and compensation for our suffering. The refinery must take responsibility for their actions and ensure that this never happens again,” a female protester alleged.
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“We are worried about our health, but we have no access to medical care. Our food is contaminated and we are struggling to survive. KRPC needs to step in and provide us with the necessary assistance. We can’t do this alone,” said another local.
A Community leader from the community; Mr.Jatau alleged that the toxic waste had caused financial losses in millions of Naira, adding that the refinery has neglected the host community and they lacked essential services like schools, hospitals, electricity
Jatau said the community members frustration knew no bound. “We have endured years of neglect, but this latest incident has pushed us to the the wall,” he said.
“We demand comprehensive compensation for our losses and immediate action to mitigate the environmental and health impacts of the refinery’s operations.”
Vanguard
