At least 37 people have reportedly died after inhaling fumes from a petroleum product at a jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The incident occurred on Thursday at Okari Jetty in Okrika Mainland, where youths from Okrika and neighbouring communities were reportedly gathered to load petroleum products from an illegal tapping point.
Several other people were said to be missing following the incident in the predominantly coastal community.
A community source told Punch that more than 100 people had arrived at the jetty in locally made boats while a vessel was anchored nearby to load petroleum products.
According to the source, the situation turned deadly while the youths were loading the product after a strong smell suddenly filled the area, causing several people to collapse.
“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, who requested anonymity, claimed that more than 37 bodies had been identified as residents of Okrika, while six others remained unidentified and several people were still missing.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) separately confirmed the incident, saying its network of youth volunteers and human rights defenders across the Niger Delta had reported the deaths.
The organisation’s Executive Director, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, said in a statement that the incident occurred around midnight on Thursday and involved people suspected of participating in illegal oil activities.
“According to the report, no fewer than 37 persons suspected to be oil thieves died after inhaling what is locally called ‘Indorama Fuel’,” Dumnamene said.
He added that several others remained missing, while some bodies had reportedly been seen floating on the river but had yet to be recovered.
Dumnamene alleged that the victims had connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline carrying petroleum products from the Indorama Eleme Petrochemical facility through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels reportedly visiting the area to load products for export.
He said the youths were allegedly loading the product into their boats from the illegal tapping point while a vessel was loading at the jetty.
Dumnamene urged the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to carry out an immediate joint investigation of the incident.
He also called on the company whose facilities were allegedly vandalised to strengthen security around its pipelines to prevent similar incidents.
The YEAC-Nigeria director condemned the alleged vandalism and warned young people against approaching oil and gas infrastructure, particularly high-pressure pipelines, because of the potentially fatal risks.
He also advocated alternative livelihood opportunities for young people in the Niger Delta, including the establishment of modular refineries and the legalisation of artisanal refining.
However, the Rivers State Police Command gave an account that differed from that of the Civilian Joint Task Force in the area.
The police spokesperson, Blessing Agabe, confirmed that an incident had occurred but said the victims were reportedly attempting to steal crude oil.
Agabe, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said no formal complaint had been lodged with the command but confirmed that an investigation was under way.
“The suspects reportedly died in the process of attempting to steal crude oil. However, no official complaint has been received in connection with the incident at this time,” she said.
“Investigation is ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and ascertain the facts.”
Meanwhile, the Commander of the Civilian JTF in Okrika Local Government Area, Igwe Godswill, offered a different explanation, saying the victims had gone to scoop petroleum products that had spilled into the river.
He said they were subsequently overwhelmed by fumes from a vessel loading products at the jetty.
Godswill described the incident as tragic, saying most of those affected were young people seeking ways to earn a living amid limited employment opportunities.
“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,” he said.
He said the victims had been choked by the fumes and urged authorities and community leaders to address unemployment in the area.
Godswill said about 10 bodies had so far been recovered, although identifying some of the victims had proved difficult because of 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 called on the Rivers State Government, community leaders and other authorities to create legitimate employment opportunities for young people in Okrika.
He warned that simply preventing residents from engaging in dangerous activities would not necessarily end the practice if alternative sources of income were unavailable.
“Something that can put food on the tables of these young men, the youths and every other person. I can tell you for free that it will not just stop because when that source is the only livelihood, people will still go there,” he said.
Godswill added that people had continued to visit the area even after reports of deaths linked to the activity emerged.
The exact number of casualties and the circumstances surrounding the deaths remained unclear as investigations continued.
