The reported deaths occurred around midnight on Thursday, September 3, at Okari Jetty in the Okrika Mainland area of Rivers State, where more than 100 people from Okrika and neighbouring communities were said to have gathered in locally made boats around a petroleum-loading point. A strong smell reportedly filled the area while petroleum products were being loaded, causing several people to collapse.
At least 37 people were reported dead following the incident, according to the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, which said its network of volunteers and human-rights defenders in the Niger Delta received reports of the deaths. Several other people were also reported missing, while some bodies were said to have been seen floating in the river.
The environmental group’s Executive Director, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, said the victims were suspected of involvement in illegal oil activities and had allegedly connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline carrying petroleum products. He said the victims were exposed to the substance while a vessel was loading products and they were simultaneously attempting to load it into their own boats.
Dumnamene described the incident as a serious warning about the dangers associated with illegal tapping of oil and petroleum infrastructure, particularly where products are being moved under high pressure. He called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency to conduct an immediate joint investigation into the incident and urged the operator of the affected facilities to strengthen security around its pipelines.
The Rivers State Police Command confirmed that an incident had occurred but gave a more cautious account of the circumstances. Police spokesperson ASP Blessing Agabe said the victims reportedly died while attempting to steal crude oil, adding that no official complaint had been lodged with the command at the time. She said an investigation had commenced to establish what happened and determine the facts.
The police position means the reported figure of 37 deaths should not yet be treated as an officially confirmed final casualty count. Reuters reported that the death toll could not be independently confirmed and that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps had also said circulating casualty figures remained unverified while authorities worked to establish the number of dead, injured and missing.
There was also a different account from the Commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Okrika, Igwe Godswill. He said the victims had gone to scoop petroleum products floating on the water when they were overcome by fumes from a vessel loading products at the jetty. He described many of the victims as young men searching for a means of livelihood and appealed for greater employment opportunities in the community.
Godswill said about 10 bodies had been recovered when he spoke, although some could not immediately be identified because of the condition of the remains. His account also highlighted the difficulty of establishing the full circumstances of the tragedy while recovery and identification efforts were still under way.
The tragedy has once again drawn attention to the dangers associated with crude-oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other forms of illegal activity around petroleum infrastructure in the Niger Delta. Beyond the immediate loss of lives, the incident has raised renewed questions about pipeline security, emergency response, youth unemployment and the economic pressures that can drive people towards hazardous activities.
Dumnamene called for alternative livelihood opportunities for young people in the Niger Delta, including proposals for modular refineries and regulated artisanal refining. The Civilian JTF commander similarly urged government and community leaders to create legitimate employment opportunities, arguing that enforcement alone would not address the economic pressures confronting young people in the area.
As investigations continue, authorities are expected to establish the precise circumstances surrounding the incident, confirm the final number of fatalities and clarify the substance involved. Until those findings are released, the reported death toll and the competing accounts of what happened at Okari Jetty remain subject to investigation.
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