Tension has gripped residents of the Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State following an incident in which several people suspected of illegally siphoning petroleum products reportedly died after inhaling toxic fumes.
While community sources claimed that as many as 43 people may have died, the Rivers State Police Command said it could not confirm the actual number of casualties, stressing that an investigation into the incident was ongoing.
The incident reportedly occurred around midnight on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at Okari Jetty in the Okrika Mainland area.
It was gathered that a vessel had anchored at the jetty to load petroleum products for export when more than 200 people, mostly youths from neighbouring communities, allegedly arrived in locally made boats and attempted to siphon the product from an illegal tapping point.
A community source said that while the operation was underway, the pungent fumes from the petroleum product reportedly saturated the area, causing several people at the scene to collapse.
According to the source, some of the victims fell into the river, while others who escaped reportedly suffered serious respiratory complications and were taken to hospitals for treatment.
The source claimed that 37 bodies had been identified as indigenes of Okrika, while six others remained unidentified. Several people were also reportedly missing.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) also confirmed the incident, saying its network of youth volunteers and human rights defenders in the Niger Delta reported that at least 37 people had died after inhaling what was locally described as “Indorama fuel.”
The Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said the incident occurred during an alleged attempt to illegally load the petroleum product into boats.
He said the victims had reportedly connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline said to transport petroleum products from Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels that visit the area to load products for export.
Fyneface said the product was allegedly being pumped at high pressure when the victims inhaled the fumes, resulting in multiple deaths.
He added that some bodies had reportedly been sighted floating on the river but had yet to be recovered, while several others remained missing.
Fyneface called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the site to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
He also urged companies whose facilities were allegedly vandalised to strengthen security around their pipelines and other oil infrastructure to prevent similar incidents.
While condemning the alleged acts of pipeline vandalism and illegal siphoning, Fyneface warned youths against approaching oil and gas infrastructure, citing the dangers associated with high-pressure petroleum products and toxic fumes.
He also called on the government to provide alternative livelihood opportunities for artisanal refiners and other vulnerable residents in the Niger Delta.
However, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Blessing Agabe, said the command could not confirm the reported death toll.
Agabe said: “Several people who went to scoop crude oil died in the process. I cannot volunteer the actual figure now because the investigation is still ongoing.”
The police said the investigation would establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the actual number of casualties.
As of the time of filing this report, the reported death toll had not been independently verified, while efforts to recover possible victims and establish the number of missing persons were said to be ongoing.
