What began as a midnight scramble for petroleum products ended in tragedy in Rivers State, with at least 37 people feared dead after suspected illegal oil operators were reportedly overwhelmed by toxic fumes at a jetty in Okrika.
The incident occurred around midnight on Thursday at Okari Jetty, Okrika Mainland, where more than 100 people were said to have converged in locally made boats to collect petroleum products from an illegal tapping point.
A vessel was reportedly anchored at the location and loading the same product when disaster struck.
Witnesses said a powerful smell suddenly engulfed the area, leaving several people gasping for air before collapsing.
Some victims reportedly plunged into the river, while others scrambled to escape the scene.
Several survivors were said to have developed serious breathing problems and were rushed to medical facilities.
The number of missing persons remained unclear as rescue and recovery efforts continued.
A community source said more than 37 bodies had been identified as indigenes of Okrika, while six others had yet to be identified.
But authorities and local responders gave different figures for recovered bodies, suggesting that the full scale of the tragedy was still emerging.
Civilian Joint Task Force Commander in Okrika, Igwe Godswill, said about 10 bodies had been recovered when he spoke to journalists.
He said some of the remains were so badly damaged that identification was difficult.
“Many of them were choked to death,” Godswill said, describing the incident as heartbreaking.
According to him, many of the victims were young men who had gone to the jetty in search of a means of livelihood.
He appealed to the Rivers State Government, community leaders and other authorities to urgently create legitimate employment opportunities for young people in the area.
Godswill said the victims had gone to scoop petroleum products floating on the water when fumes from the vessel-loading operation allegedly overwhelmed them.
He warned that merely shutting down illegal oil activities would not end the problem unless residents were given viable alternatives.
He said some residents had reportedly continued visiting the area even after deaths had been confirmed.
The development has renewed concerns over the deadly risks associated with pipeline vandalism, crude-oil theft and illegal refining activities across the Niger Delta.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) confirmed reports of at least 37 deaths through its network of volunteers and human rights defenders in the region.
Its Executive Director, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, said the victims were reportedly attempting to obtain petroleum products from a pipeline allegedly connected to infrastructure serving the Indorama Eleme Petrochemical Company, Port Harcourt Refinery and vessels operating in the area.
Dumnamene said the product was being pumped under pressure when the victims were exposed to the fumes.
Some bodies were reportedly seen floating on the river and had yet to be recovered.
YEAC-Nigeria urged the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to immediately visit the site with other relevant agencies to investigate the incident.
The organisation also called for stronger protection of petroleum infrastructure to prevent further illegal tapping and similar disasters.
Dumnamene condemned pipeline vandalism and oil theft but argued that the government must tackle the poverty and unemployment driving young people into dangerous activities.
He called for alternative livelihood programmes, including support for modular refineries, legalisation of artisanal refining and the establishment of industrial initiatives targeting communities in the Niger Delta.
The Rivers State Police Command confirmed that people died during an attempt to steal crude oil.
Police spokesperson ASP Blessing Agabe, however, said no formal complaint had been lodged with the command at the time.
She said investigations were underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The exact substance involved and the final number of fatalities were yet to be conclusively established.
NAVY: 'THEIR DAYS ARE NUMBERED'
The tragedy came as the Nigerian Navy issued another stern warning to oil thieves operating across the country's waterways.
Speaking on Channels Television's The Morning Brief, Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, warned criminal elements involved in maritime oil theft that the Navy was intensifying surveillance operations.
He said improved maritime surveillance equipment had made it increasingly difficult for large-scale oil thieves to operate undetected.
Folorunsho described crude-oil theft as a sophisticated criminal enterprise requiring vessels, logistics and substantial resources.
His warning followed a Navy operation in which three suspected illegal refining sites, six reservoirs and approximately 99,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil were reportedly discovered in Rivers and Delta states.
The Okrika disaster has once again exposed the deadly intersection of poverty, illegal oil operations and weak protection of petroleum infrastructure in the Niger Delta.For families searching for missing relatives along the waterways, however, the debate over oil theft and enforcement has been overshadowed by one immediate question:
How many more bodies are still beneath the waters of Okrika?
37 Feared Dead As Oil Fumes Choke Suspected Thieves
