Deadliest Roads | Nigeria | Free Documentary

so day and night it is the same melody that plays in kotonu the deafening noise of thousands of small motorcycles throughout Benin city the motorcycle is the queen, it is used to transport almost everything, even serving as a tanker for a few dollars that These daredevils can transport up to 700 liters of fuel per trick Sometimes there are accidents when we fall Gasoline spills can catch fire Human bombs carry gasoline on the black market that is sold in illegal and improvised service stations There are thousands spread throughout the world country how much Do you want two liters?

Alright. The prices are very competitive. How much does 325 francs cost? That is, about 60 cents per liter. Low prices are effectively undermining the market. Nobody but state employees buys from large multinationals. Mrs. Rose already has one. At small, prosperous gas stations they sell two liters of gasoline for about ten dollars. I sell it for 55 cents, even less than 50 cents. Sometimes the illicit trade costs the government about $40 million a year in taxes, but they With this, as it provides a livelihood for a quarter of the entire population, the government would like us to disappear, but it will never happen, as too many people would be out of work, too many families depend on the business before it catches up with tastes. from Mrs Rose and from Benin oil has killed some men and enriched others and damaged much of Nigeria, the world's seventh largest oil producer, every day thousands of liters of fuel stolen from refineries cross the border between the two nations the superior The quality of Nigerian oil has attracted major oil companies, but also gangs of thieves willing to risk everything while siphoning fuel from refinery pipelines in the dead of night.

Today it belongs to all Nigerians. The Niger Delta has become the wild west of Africa. who brought the white people here this is my heartbeat

nigeria

crude oil is so pure that it is easy for smugglers to refine it using outdated methods this is what we have at the end of the day this is because this is not work this it's this is life or death so many people die for this job the black gold rush is slowly polluting not only nature but also humans oh i love destroying everywhere oh it's not a blessing at all that it's a cause to evade to the police the smugglers hide their illegal refineries in the heart of the mangroves a marine jungle so thick that it is practically impenetrable the ship heads towards the black smoke that reveals the presence of a camp hundreds are hidden in this labyrinth they come across one of the gangs but the guide morris is not happy It is a dangerous area, the smugglers keep a close eye on the access to the mangrove and the boat is soon forced to stop when we start to talk you out of it please wait please what is he doing the camera here?

Why did you bring white people here? ruin our business, you don't have the right to everyone, everyone feels that they shouldn't stop this business, this is the only place they make money from, so if this place is exposed it becomes a problem, so just don't They want nothing that does. expose the business without being escorted to the next town by smugglers who want to make sure we really leave the forbidden zone. A few years ago there were only farmers in bolo, but when the rush for black gold began, they soon abandoned their fields and became the smugglers' money poured in and concrete palaces replaced the small wooden shacks and streets of the town were paved.

Belmer has been a gasoline dealer for almost five years, pretty much let's see if I'll put him on a percentage like 60 percent of the people here in the business. He agrees to give us a tour of his refinery, this time we travel at night to avoid being seen by the other smugglers, now you have to do it so he can see the direction we are going, the lights, you see, that's where the people are. They are refining their products those are garbage containers people walk on the knife after half an hour the refinery appears the scene is almost surreal the smell of burning gasoline is overwhelming the crude oil stolen from the oil companies is refined in an archaic but efficient way These are the cooking pots, that's where the crude oil is.

I'm trying to put a lot of wood inside. Come, come, come, we're just trying to start the process of getting our aluminum foil, our gasoline, our kerosene, and our dessert in exactly the same way. As an alembic, the oil is heated for about six hours and the boiling steam passes through a system of tubes to a section where it is cooled and this is the coolant that the hearts use. Once cooled, the vapor returns to its liquid form and becomes gasoline. It comes out in droplets, be careful, be careful, this is very dangerous, you see, you see, you see, it comes out in droplets, this film that comes out can ignite at any point, any spark of light, any spark of fire, ignites, so in This stage we are very very careful many have died while they were still exploited this is what we have at the end of the day this is dessert 20 liters of crude oil will produce around 10 liters of gasoline this is what we get at the end of each production this is the final product this is what we sell to the people with those big badges after work they sleep like this they sleep there exhausted they are so dead the men who work to keep the refinery running 24 hours a day earn the equivalent of 15 euros an hour three times the average salary in

nigeria

um in the camp the only luxury is a generator power suppliers all that's why we are charging our phone here morning breakfast consists of boiled beans for everyone the camp is taking it easy crude oil is gone I woke up people are waiting for the oil to arrive so any time from now we are waiting for the tide to come in when the tide comes in the cargo ship will be able to arrive.

The last liters of crude oil are refined while most of these wait. The workers work naked as gasoline fumes would seep into their clothes and could easily catch fire and turn into human torture. It is a dangerous but profitable job. In fact, there is so much demand that Belmer has installed new crude oil containers at its camp. is too small, he has cut down a few more square meters of forest using a radical method. There is so much moisture that the fire will only burn for a short time, although long enough to have cut down an additional acre of forest when Belmer finally abandons his refinery, the jungle will disappear.

We have a tough job growing back as the ground is now soaked with oil even though we arrived when it was already dark, it didn't take long for the other smugglers to detect our presence. Come on white man, we want our share gone. There will be Blood here, hey, when you leave with the whites, we will be waiting for you on the road once again, it's time to leave quickly. The Nigerian military has been trying to put an end to the trafficking almost since the day it started but there are simply too many of them and it is an impossible task in a mangrove forest that is several thousand square kilometers right now we are in the mangrove forest it is good for our business because the terrain is difficult, it is very difficult for someone to track you to this place.

I know that there are so many twists and turns that it is difficult for the government to come and look for us. Look how difficult the terrain can be. You see it's more like a cave, a dead end where you think you're lost and if you're not careful, you don't know the way, you know, you don't know the sea routes, you just get lost and that's why we have to do this business around here because its place is very secret, it is hidden, it is a hiding place and yet the mangroves are slowly disappearing. dying asphyxiated by the oil spilled into the Niger the waters become thick and sticky the plants and trees are covered by a layer of crude oil that is poisoning them the smugglers are not the only ones to blame for more than 50 years The business Oil has been responsible for some 200,000 tons of crude oil being spilled into the delta each year, the equivalent of a massive oil spill.

Among the first victims are the fishermen. Victor witnessed the first drilling near his own town in the 60s. As the number of oil wells multiplied, the number of fish disappeared in equal measure. He is the last fisherman left in the town because of the pollution there is no left. nothing to fish it is difficult to find something to eat here all the fish have died only some shrimp like bees survive in this type of water it is not just me who is suffering, it is the entire village fifty years ago the villagers welcomed the oil companies with open arms there were jobs and money to be had the mayor of bodo never thought he would make the region a living Damn we have skin cancer you know because of this pollution water pollution yes there were economic problems there were social problems , there were environmental problems, the speed destroyed all the natural resources of the people, including the sale of fish, fish, animals and even humans.

There, that's why it completely destroyed its library facilities. There were no means of survival in the community because the community depends on water for its economic standard of living. There are no jobs because people can't go back to fishing. They can't go back to farming because of the oil. It has destroyed everywhere the oil is not a blessing at all the night is a course the oil leaks into everything a few years ago Mr. Doe the head of a small town was forced to make a terrible decision: he ordered the 400 inhabitants to evacuate abandoning their houses and the lands of their ancestors I want to show you the water we are drinking you can see the water this is the entrance to this street this stream in the past the women of the village came here to collect water but the well soon filled up The oil has seeped into the water table, but look how the oil can be used for cooking, it can be used for washing, it is difficult for them to stay here, there is no water, there is no light, nothing, hunger, there is no food for Let them stay here and feed this.

It is the entrance to my father's complex my grandfather's complex look at it this is where the town was this whole place that I am showing you is where the town was there is no benefit we do not benefit anything in our town in this our area in which we do not we benefit we receive nothing the people who are rich are getting poorer they are getting poorer every day according to the authorities oil has reduced the life expectancy of the region's inhabitants to only 40 years compared to 60 in the region The rest of Nigeria cannot fish or farm the land, many farmers have turned to the slums around Port Harcourt, the largest nearby city, the Niger Delta is slowly but surely being abandoned, but some have decided to fight To survive, the Okrika villages still fish to live with a notable change.

They have exchanged their nets for buckets. They have become sand fishermen. It is exhausting work. Filling a barge requires more than 100 dives into the cold water, lifting 40 kilos or more each time. Once Daniel, 52 years old, now makes his living Sand which he sells to cement factories. He earns only 150 euros a month before we have enough fish in the water, but due to the current situation of oil pollution in the water, I cannot get fish to sell even at the rate of 500 naira because there is no work. For me, I would rather have decided to do this to have my daily bread.

Daniel has been sand fishing for 15 years. He could earn three times as much running an illegal refinery, but he has always refused to do so. I'm smart. boy and I have the strength, I don't think that because of the bad condition of our nation I should cross my hand and tie it to know which way to fall, but that's why I choose to find myself in this condition, uh. The dream I have is that one day God will make things possible for his children because we are suffering. It takes two men about three hours to fill a barge.

It is a delicate job. Sand fishermen defy the laws of physics. They deliver the sand to Port Harcourt. a dangerous trip if the engine speeds up then the boat will sink you will lose everything all your effort all your strength all your equipment in the cabin everything lost it would take a miracle for the fish to return but in daniel's town they say prayers every day daniel He lives with his wife and three children in a small house with only 150 euros a month. He cannot afford anything bigger but he is proud to show his children that he earns his money honestly.

He works to earn a living. Yes, they are important to me. It is difficult for me. make a living sure I take care of them I feed them every day when he goes to work I would pray then I will sleep I will not be afraid because it is not so easy for one to go into the water and come out that's why I am afraid in some way, I don't even pray for my son is in that condition, that's why I sent him to school. I pray thatmy son is more than a mother, he should be educated more than me, I know it is by working hard so that we become something to be future leaders tomorrow I encourage you to go to school to learn more things, you have to work hard enough to become the doctor who need to be his day off, daniel spends in church he prays to have the strength to resist the call of dirty money we start to act well we start to behave well from the lowest level to the highest level so that the Nigerian society will be a happy place to live in the name of Jesus Christ because there is nothing that we do not have in Nigeria there is no resource that we do not have in Nigeria we have all the resources, resources and resourceful people to manage these resources that we are not getting anywhere because our leaders They come into government only to serve themselves instead of serving the people and when you speak they shout at you and that's why we are suffering in abundance, our youth who are involved in oil supply is because we don't have any meaningful work to do. and when they see how the political class is mismanaging oil money, they all want to benefit from it, whether by hook or by crook, despite the death threats we have received from some of the oil smugglers we are See Belma again.

He is exceptionally allowing us to accompany him while he and his team steal oil from the big refineries. Needless to say, it is a very dangerous operation. Working during the day will incur so many disadvantages that the military will be there ensuring. ownership because you know very well that it is something illegal there is no way of knowing where we are going to load the crude oil that is the secret of Belmont the danger is true some drivers can be some good drivers can be very risky the fact that it is possible that don't know the road very well, you may not know the route very well and if you don't know the route very well, there may be a head-on collision and lives will be lost that way, the other threat comes from the military. patrols, but using force to escape is not necessary since Belmer has a magic pass, do you have to do it?

We pay this ambulance, we pay the military so you can get your shipment and go safely, if you don't pay them, they stay. They arrest you, you go to a houseboat, they can take you out of there and put you in a cell. The pipeline to the refinery is a few kilometers ahead on land that belongs to this. He is a man diverting part of the flow of crude oil that he sells. to the smugglers in the area this is the owner of this point he walks here he was able to open the collector belongs to him you can see the collector is right there now you align this horse with the water here some of the precious fuel means diving, the mud hides the opening, This is where the product is lined up, the product now goes into the can, so now what they do is directly from the collector, like I told you before, they try to break it and fix it themselves. host you see the pressure you see the pressure look at the pressure look so this is crude oil this is what we come to buy most traffickers don't have tanks or containers so they just fill the small boats to the brim they want to know want to meet you then The people of this place have to chase them away so at this moment it belongs to the people of this land.

It takes less than 10 minutes to fill it with 5,000 liters. Later, other boats will come. They will load up for the night they will do this until about 3am. m. before the close of the day because it is already dawn the boat now full of oil is on the way back there is no risk of explosion due to sparks from its old outboard motors belmer sells more and more fuel it needs large quantities of crude oil, That's why he has had a huge barge built that was filled the night before but it is so heavy that it takes three days to reach the camp that contains 10 thousand liters, consider what we have the scope of our business, so in the extent of our business, this is a very big one, he is smoking on top of the insignia, I tell him to put down the cigarettes, the barge weighs about 100 tons and whenever there is the slightest current, the small engine fights against us, so we are doing our best to make sure we tie it up so we can live and come when the tide is right for us at dawn the next day, the men are already at work, some trouble and a morning sail later the barge finally arrives at the camp there are more illegal refineries in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world the main reason is that its oil is easy to transform into gasoline what we have here is bonnie light this food is known as bonnie it is the light specimen we have in Nigeria why this is the best because it has less impurities when you refine it it doesn't take you long to start getting the final products how much money is that how much money yes Sorry we didn't disclose that no no every month thousands of illegal refineries steal the equivalent of four large gasoline tankers.

Our part will end in two hours. This is the line that could happen. Yes, move on to the pots. There is. it's okay to go inside almost as soon as it stops the refining process begins not all the workers are illiterate peasants some like belmar who has a degree in geography or amaya who is reading geology they have studied for years in universities finish school good job so the only thing we can do we have to do we have to find something for ourselves but we are going to fight we are going to fight to survive so this is the only way we can fight to survive there is no job look at me I am a graduate there is no job because this is not It's a job, this is life and death, a lot of people died because of this job, it's very dangerous, so we don't like to do it, we don't like doing this kind of work because it's very dangerous, there's nothing to do. that's why we suffer ourselves and we do it hello, it was bought outside we took it to the ships the ships will now supply them to the ships the ships will now collect them towards kotunu and a republic that is where the gasoline will end up transported 600 kilometers to the border it is a no man's land between nigeria and benin where fuel traffickers have created an illegal port that never stops operating the business is now so well organized that there is someone responsible for both arrivals and dealing with the authorities receives a commission for each can that It is unloaded and some of the money is used to bribe customs officials, I mean, they know what they are going to build, there is a huge amount of fuel coming in from Nigeria, I couldn't say exactly how much.

Since it comes from all over here but there are easily 1,000 trucks, measuring the magnitude of the traffic is impossible but the truth is that the activity on the border never stops. Antoine is an employee of a trafficker and comes here every day to refuel his small motorcycle. It can't get up from the port when it's fully loaded, so it makes two trips and the bike catches fire. Antoine loads 14 cans, about 700 liters of fuel. It's an almost miraculous balancing act. It would tip over. Bye-bye, I use the little ways to avoid customs so I can get there to the paved road here having avoided them all together Antoine earns about five euros a day which is nothing considering the risks he runs on each trip.

Once I fell the motorcycle caught fire but luckily, in fact, I didn't get hurt. Antoine is one of the lucky ones. Usually a fall while carrying a full load of gasoline causes a disaster every year. Approximately 10 small transporters die on the

roads

after 20 kilometers. Antoine arrives at his destination district, but you can't come. with me, since the people there don't like to be filmed, antoine has made six trips a day for the last three years. He survived not only thanks to his driving skills, but also enjoys a bit of supernatural protection by offering gifts to the voodoo gods.

Oh, the small time players in the black gold rush are just part of a much larger illegal trade that has been polluting and destroying the Niger Delta for the last 50 years. Big oil companies are equally responsible for human and ecological disasters caused by oil spills in the environment according to experts the curse of black gold will continue to pollute Nigeria for decades to come they predict there are enough oil reserves to keep them busy to oil companies and smugglers for another 50 years