Many persons suspected of illegally siphoning petroleum products are feared dead, with dozens more missing, after a midnight operation at Okari Jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State ended in a mass tragedy.
The incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Thursday, September 3, 2026, when more than 200 persons, mostly youths from Okrika and neighbouring communities, allegedly converged on the riverside in locally made boats to siphon petroleum products from an illegal tapping point.
Community sources put the number of deaths at 43, although the Police Command said it could not confirm the figure, stressing that an investigation was ongoing.
The victims were reportedly overcome by pungent fumes from the petroleum product being pumped at high pressure through an illegally connected pipeline.
The incident occurred while a vessel was reportedly anchored at the jetty to load petroleum products for export.
According to accounts from the area, the suspected oil thieves had connected a pipe to an illegal tapping point and were loading the product into waiting boats at the same time the vessel was carrying out its legitimate loading operation.
A community source said the atmosphere became saturated with the strong fumes during the operation, causing several persons to collapse.
Some of the victims reportedly fell into the river, while others who escaped the scene were said to have suffered serious respiratory complications and were taken to hospitals for treatment.
The source said 37 bodies had been identified as Okrika indigenes, while six others were yet to be identified. Several people were also reportedly missing, raising fears that the eventual death toll could be higher.
There were also reports that some corpses had been sighted floating on the river but had not yet been recovered.
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 had received reports of multiple deaths.
Executive Director of the organisation, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said no fewer than 37 persons suspected to be involved in oil theft had died after inhaling what residents locally referred to as “Indorama fuel”. He said the incident occurred at about midnight on Thursday at Okari Jetty in the Okrika Mainland area.
According to him, the victims had allegedly 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 periodically visit the area to load products for export.
Fyneface said the illegal loading operation was taking place simultaneously with the loading of a vessel when the victims were exposed to the petroleum product being pumped at high pressure. He said the fumes overwhelmed those at the tapping point, resulting in multiple deaths.
“Many are still missing, and some corpses have been seen floating on the river but have not yet been recovered”, he said.
Fyneface 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 and determine the full extent of the disaster. He also urged the companies whose facilities were allegedly vandalised to strengthen security around their pipelines and other oil infrastructure.
While condemning the alleged pipeline vandalism and illegal siphoning of petroleum products, Fyneface warned youths against approaching oil and gas infrastructure because of the dangers associated with high-pressure petroleum products.
He, however, called for government intervention to address the economic conditions that drive some residents into illegal oil activities.
Fyneface urged the Federal Government to create alternative livelihood opportunities for artisanal refiners and other vulnerable residents of the Niger Delta.
Among the measures he advocated were the establishment of modular refineries and the legalisation and regulation of artisanal refining. He also renewed his call for the establishment of the proposed Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI) and a Niger Delta Industrial Park to create legitimate economic opportunities for people displaced from illegal refining activities.
The Police Command confirmed that an incident involving suspected oil thieves had occurred but declined to validate the reported death toll.
The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Agabe Blessing Kaborio, said several people died while attempting to scoop petroleum products, but maintained that the exact number could not yet be established.
“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”, she said.
