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No fewer than 43 suspected oil thieves have choked to death after inhaling toxic petroleum fumes at Okari Jetty in the Okrika mainland area of Okrika Local Government Area, Rivers State.
The tragic incident occurred at about 12.00 am on Thursday, September 3, 2026, when a vessel was docked at the jetty loading petroleum products for export.
According to community sources, over 200 youths from Okrika and neighbouring communities stormed the jetty in locally made boats to siphon product from an illegally tapped point connected to a pipeline.
The pipeline, sources said, normally conveys petroleum products from Indorama Eleme Petrochemical through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels that berth every two weeks for export.
While the vessel was loading and the youths were simultaneously scooping from the illegal tap, the pungent odour of the product — locally called “Indorama fuel” — saturated the air.
Witnesses said many of the youths inhaled the fumes at high pressure, collapsed on the spot, and some fell into the river.
According to sources, others who managed to escape were rushed to hospitals with severe respiratory complications.
An anonymous community source confirmed that 37 bodies have been identified as indigenes of Okrika, while six others remain unidentified. Many more are still missing.
“The river is still bringing up bodies, but they have not been recovered,” the source said.
The Commander of the Civilian JTF in Okrika LGA, Igwe Godswill, who confirmed the incident in an interview with a journalist, described it as tragic, saying most of the victims were youths searching for a means of livelihood.
He said: “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.
“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 explained that the victims had gone to scoop petroleum products floating on the water when they were overcome by fumes from a vessel loading petroleum products at the jetty.
He said about 10 bodies had been recovered, adding that only some of the victims could be identified because of the condition of their 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 added.
The Civilian JTF commander called on the Rivers State Government, community leaders, and other relevant authorities to create employment opportunities for youths in the area to discourage them from engaging in dangerous activities.
He said: “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.
“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.
“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.”
The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, ASP Agabe Blessing Karbolo, confirmed the incident to journalists, adding that no official complaint had been received by the command.
She added that the police had commenced an investigation to ascertain the number of persons who died in the incident and establish the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Meanwhile, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) has confirmed the deaths.
Its Executive Director, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said no fewer than 37 persons died after inhaling the product during the illegal loading.
YEAC-Nigeria has called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct a Joint Investigation Visit to the site.
The group also urged oil companies to tighten security around pipelines to prevent a recurrence.
The advocacy group warned youths to stay away from oil and gas infrastructure, citing the dangers of high-pressure products.
It further called on the government to provide alternative livelihoods through modular refineries and the proposed Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI).
Authorities say the search for missing persons is ongoing, while medical teams are attending to survivors with respiratory issues.
The Okrika incident has again brought to the fore the deadly consequences of oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.
