Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — At least 37 persons are feared dead after allegedly inhaling petroleum product during an attempted oil theft operation at Okari Jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, with the Police saying investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances and actual casualty figure.
The incident, according to the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, YEAC-Nigeria, occurred at about midnight on Thursday, September 3, 2026, during the alleged illegal loading of a petroleum product locally known as “Indorama fuel” into boats at a pipeline tapping point.
YEAC-Nigeria said its network of youth volunteers and human rights defenders reported that the victims were allegedly attempting to steal the product when they inhaled fumes from the high-pressure pipeline.
However, Rivers State Police Command said it had not received any official complaint concerning the incident.
The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Blessing Agabe, told our correspondent that the suspects reportedly died while attempting to steal crude oil, adding that an investigation was underway.
“The suspects reportedly died in the process of attempting to steal crude oil. However, no official complaint has been received in connection with the incident at this time,” Agabe said.
“Investigation is ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and ascertain the facts.”
YEAC-Nigeria Executive Director, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said the organisation received reports that no fewer than 37 persons had died, while several others remained missing.
According to the organisation, the incident occurred while a vessel was loading product and the alleged oil thieves were simultaneously drawing the product through an illegal tapping point into waiting boats.
YEAC-Nigeria alleged that the youths had connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline transporting product from Indorama Eleme Petrochemical through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels loading for export.
The organisation said the product was being pumped at high pressure when those involved allegedly inhaled it, resulting in multiple deaths.
It further claimed that some bodies had been sighted floating on the river but had not been recovered.
The Advocacy Centre called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, to conduct a Joint Investigation Visit, JIV, to the location to establish what happened.
It also urged companies whose facilities were allegedly vandalised to strengthen security around their pipelines to prevent further incidents.
YEAC-Nigeria condemned the alleged sabotage and warned residents against approaching oil and gas infrastructure because of the dangers associated with high-pressure petroleum systems.
The group, however, called for alternative livelihood opportunities for artisanal refiners and oil-dependent youths in the Niger Delta, including the development of modular refineries and formalisation of artisanal refining.
It also renewed its call for the establishment of its proposed Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative, PACORDI, and the Niger Delta Industrial Park as alternative economic opportunities.
