At least 37 suspected oil thieves have reportedly died after inhaling petroleum products during an illegal loading operation at a jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The incident occurred at the Okari Jetty area of Okrika Mainland in the early hours of Thursday, leaving several people dead and many others missing.
The victims were said to have been part of a large group that converged on the waterfront to siphon petroleum products from an illegally tapped point while another vessel was loading products at the jetty.
Initial reports put the number of people involved in the illegal operation at more than 200.
Most of them were youths from neighbouring communities who arrived in locally made boats.
It was gathered that the group had connected a pipe to an illegal tapping point and was loading the petroleum product into waiting boats when the situation turned fatal.
A community source said the atmosphere suddenly became saturated with the strong fumes from the product.
The fumes reportedly overwhelmed several of those at the location.
Some of the victims were said to have collapsed at the jetty, while others fell into the river as they attempted to escape from the area.
Those who survived reportedly suffered breathing difficulties and were rushed to hospitals for treatment.
The exact number of casualties remained unclear as of Thursday afternoon, with the police saying investigations were still ongoing.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) confirmed the incident and said its network of youth volunteers and human rights defenders in the Niger Delta had received reports of multiple deaths in the area.
The Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said at least 37 people had been confirmed dead after inhaling what residents locally refer to as “Indorama fuel”.
Fyneface said: “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.
“The incident is said to have occurred at about 12:00am on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at the Okari Jetty, Okrika Mainland area”.
He explained that the illegal operators had connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline carrying products from the Indorama Eleme Petrochemical area through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels that reportedly arrive periodically to load products for export.
According to him, the illegal loading was taking place at the same time as a vessel was loading the product.
Fyneface said the victims were exposed to the substance as it was being pumped through the system at high pressure.
“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,” he said.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Police Command in Rivers State, Blessing Agabe, said the victims were allegedly attempting to steal crude oil.
Agabe said that while no official complaint has been lodged with the command, it has commenced an investigation.
“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.
“Investigation is ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and ascertain the facts,” she stated.
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