AT least 43 suspected oil thieves have died after inhaling petroleum products during an illegal loading operation at Okari Jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, while many others remain missing after the incident that devastated the area.
News Point Nigeria reports that the incident occurred at about midnight on Thursday, September 3, 2026, when more than 200 persons, mostly youths from neighbouring communities, reportedly stormed the jetty in locally made boats to load petroleum products from an illegally tapped point.
The Executive Director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), Dr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, confirmed the incident, saying the organisation’s network of youth volunteers and human rights defenders in the Niger Delta reported that no fewer than 37 persons had been confirmed dead after inhaling what is locally called “Indorama Fuel”.
The incident reportedly occurred when a vessel anchored at a jetty along the riverside to load a petroleum product for export, while the youths simultaneously connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline and began loading the product into their waiting boats.
A community source, who spoke in confidence, said that while the loading was going on, the pungent odour of the product saturated the air and choked the victims, causing many of them to collapse into the river, while others who managed to escape suffered serious respiratory challenges and were taken to hospital.
The source said 37 bodies had been identified as indigenes of Okrika, while six others were yet to be identified, adding that many people were still missing. Some corpses were also reportedly seen floating on the river but had not been recovered.
Fyneface said the victims had connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline that normally transported products from Indorama Eleme Petrochemical through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels that usually came every two weeks to load for export. “According to the report, no fewer than 37 persons suspected to be oil thieves died after inhaling what is locally called ‘Indorama Fuel’. Many others are still missing. The incident occurred during the illegal loading of the product into a ship at a tapping point,” he said.
He added: “The report further stated that while a vessel was loading the product and the men were simultaneously loading into their waiting boats from the illegal tapping point, they inhaled the product being pumped at high pressure. This led to the death of not fewer than 37 persons. Many are still missing, and some corpses have been seen floating on the river but have not yet been recovered.”
Fyneface called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to carry out a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the site, while urging companies that owned the vandalised facilities to provide adequate security on their pipelines to prevent a recurrence. He also condemned the youths’ sabotage and warned them to stay away from oil and gas infrastructure because of the high pressure and associated dangers.
He further called on the government to provide alternative livelihood opportunities, including the canvassed modular refineries and the legalisation of artisanal refining, saying this could be achieved through the establishment of YEAC-Nigeria’s proposed Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI) and the proposed Niger Delta Industrial Park to provide alternative opportunities for displaced artisanal refiners in the Niger Delta.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Agabe Blessing Karbalo, also confirmed the incident, but said investigations were ongoing to determine the number of casualties and the circumstances surrounding their deaths. The exact casualty figure therefore remained subject to investigation, even as reports from the area put the number of dead at 43.
