Tragedy struck the mainly coastal community of Okrika in Rivers State on Thursday as no fewer than 37 persons, suspected to be illegal oil bunkerers, lost their lives after inhaling fumes from a petroleum product believed to be crude oil.
The incident has shattered the quiet of the riverside community, with many more people still unaccounted for.
The incident occurred at about 12:00am on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at the Okari Jetty in the Okrika Mainland area, when over 100 persons from Okrika and neighbouring communities reportedly stormed the jetty in locally made boats to load petroleum products from an illegally tapped point.
A vessel was also anchored at the site, loading the same product for export.
A community source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a strong smell suddenly saturated the air while the illegal loading was underway, overwhelming and choking many of the victims, most of whom were youths.
“Many of them collapsed into the river, while others who managed to escape the scene had serious respiratory disorders and were being treated at the hospital,” the source said.
The source added that, as of the time of speaking, over 37 bodies had been identified as Okrika indigenes, with six others yet to be identified and many people still missing.
The incident was also confirmed by the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria). Its Executive Director, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, said the group’s network of volunteers and human rights defenders in the Niger Delta reported no fewer than 37 confirmed deaths after victims inhaled what is locally referred to as “Indorama Fuel.”
According to him, the victims had connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline that ordinarily transports products from the Indorama Eleme Petrochemical Company through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels that typically arrive every two weeks to load for export.
He said the men inhaled the product being pumped at high pressure while simultaneously loading it into their waiting boats, resulting in the fatalities.
Dumnamene added that some corpses had been seen floating on the river but were yet to be recovered.
He called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to carry out an immediate Joint Investigation Visit to the site and urged the firm that owns the vandalised facility to provide adequate security on its pipelines to prevent a recurrence.
While condemning the act of sabotage and warning youths to steer clear of oil and gas infrastructure because of the associated dangers, Dumnamene also called on the government to provide alternative livelihood opportunities for displaced persons in the region.
He proposed that such opportunities could include modular refineries and the legalisation of artisanal refining, as well as the establishment of a Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative and a Niger Delta Industrial Park.
‘Many Of Them Were Choked To Death’
Speaking to newsmen, the Commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) in Okrika Local Government Area, Igwe Godswill, described the incident as heartbreaking.
He explained that the victims had gone to scoop petroleum products floating on the water when they were overcome by fumes from the vessel loading at the jetty, adding that many of them were young men searching for a means of livelihood.
“It is so pathetic that this incident is happening in our community. These are young guys who have gone to search for their daily bread, only for the fumes from the fuel that was pumped to kill so many of our youths under the bridge,” Godswill said.
“Many of them were choked to death. These are not criminals or anything, but they went out in search of their daily meal. I am advising the community, the leaders and every other person that we need legitimate jobs in the community. These things are risky, but when you cannot feed your children, most times, those risky jobs become the only option.”
Godswill disclosed that about 10 bodies had been recovered at the time of his briefing, although only a few could be identified due to the condition of the remains.
“We saw about 10 of them. Four were still unrecognisable, while four persons were identified. The rest could not be identified because their bodies were badly damaged and their faces were severely affected,” he said.
The Civilian JTF Commander appealed to the Rivers State Government, community leaders and other relevant authorities to urgently create employment opportunities for youths in the area.
He warned that without alternative sources of livelihood, residents would continue to risk their lives at tapping points despite the tragedy.
“I am calling on the relevant authorities, community leaders, the chairman and every other person to look into this. It is not enough to stop them because, yes, it is a risky job, but they should create jobs for the youths so that everybody will have something to eat,” he said.
He added, “even as of yesterday, people still went there, despite the fact that we had confirmed that people had died from the same activity. So, we are calling on the leaders to look into it and see how they can create job opportunities, especially for the youths.”
Police Confirm Deaths
Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command, ASP Blessing Agabe, confirmed that the victims died in the process of attempting to steal crude oil.
She, however, noted that no official complaint had been lodged with the command at the time.
Agabe said investigations were ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
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