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Investigation into the cause of the May 31, 2019 fire outbreak at Cameroon’s National Refining Company, SONARA, is already yielding results.
When four out of the 13 production units at the oil refinery went up in flames, the Prime Minister decreed an inquiry whose results are expected to be out by July 10 at the latest.
But even before the principally technical and administrative commission headed by Water and Energy Minister Gaston Eloundou Essomba makes public its findings, a judicial inquiry established by South West Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai is already creating waves.
The commission answerable to the Minister of State, Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals, Laurent Esso is headed by the South West Attorney General, Mbia Emmanuel and supervised by South West Governor, Okalia Bilai Bernard.
As at now, information filtering out suggests that the commission has so far established that the explosion was neither a separatist attack nor an internal sabotage. It is most likely that the fire outbreak was an accident. But was the accident the result of negligence?
This far, no fewer than 30 staff at SONARA have been grilled by investigators, including the company’s General Manager Jean-Paul Simo Njonou who was heard for about seven hours. At the moment, he is said to be without blame.
Other top shots of the company were grilled for long hours and allowed to go home before they were again summoned last Thursday, June 20, 2019, which summons will usher them into gendarmerie custody. As at press time, they were being held at the office of the Gendarmerie Company in Bota, Limbe.
Operations Manager Louis-Marie Tiako, Phase I Project Manager Derrick Takere, Finance & Accounting Head Veronique Nkengue, Maintenance Chief Alain Wa Lonla, and Quality, Hygiene, Safety, Environment & Inspection chief Mohaman Nayelwa, are currently detained for questioning at the Gendarmerie Legion in Limbe, on the orders of the Limbe Senior State Counsel, Magistrate Nawaongo Manfred who has jurisdiction over the SONARA dossier at this stage.
The judicial inquiry team resumes work this Monday, June 24. A tense and nerve-wrecking atmosphere is noticeable at the National Refining Company as uncertainty clouds the future – whose head will be next to roll?
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