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Scores of people are feared dead in Okrika area of Rivers State, following inhaling toxic fumes from illegally siphoned petroleum products.
Rivers State Police Command could not put a figure into number of casualties recorded but unconfirmed report said 43 people died from incident.
The incident reportedly occurred around midnight yesterday, September 3, at Okari Jetty in the Okrika Mainland area.
According to community sources, a vessel had anchored at a jetty along the river to load petroleum products for export when more than 200 people, mostly youths from neighbouring communities, allegedly arrived in locally made boats to siphon petroleum products from an illegal tapping point.
Sources claimed that while the illegal loading operation was underway, pungent fumes from the petroleum product reportedly saturated the area, causing several people at the scene to collapse.
Some of the victims were said to have fallen into the river, while others who escaped reportedly developed serious respiratory complications and were taken to hospitals for treatment.
It was learnt that 37 bodies were identified as indigenes of Okrika, while six others were yet to be identified. Many people were also reportedly missing.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) 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 fumes from what was locally described
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 believed to transport petroleum products from Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels that visit the area to load products for export.
He said the product was being pumped at high pressure when the victims allegedly inhaled the fumes, resulting in multiple deaths.
He added that some bodies had reportedly been sighted floating on the river but were yet to be recovered, while several other people remained missing. He called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct a joint investigation visit to the site to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. He also urged companies whose facilities were allegedly vandalised to strengthen security around their pipelines to prevent a recurrence.
While condemning pipeline vandalism and illegal siphoning of petroleum products, Fyneface warned youths against approaching oil and gas infrastructure, citing the dangers associated with high-pressure petroleum products. He further 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, Blessing Agabe Kaborio, said the command could not confirm the reported death toll.
“A number of people who went to scoop crude oil died in the process. I cannot volunteer the actual figure now because the investigation is still ongoing,” Kaborio said.
The police said the investigation would establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the actual number of casualties.
The incident has once again raised concerns over the dangers associated with illegal oil bunkering, pipeline vandalism and the unauthorised handling of petroleum products in the Niger Delta.
