By Jimmy Fatunbi
At least 37 persons have reportedly died after inhaling toxic fumes while allegedly loading petroleum products at the Okari Jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The incident occurred around midnight on Thursday in the Okrika Mainland area, where more than 100 youths from Okrika and neighbouring communities were said to have gathered with locally made boats to load petroleum products from an illegal tapping point.
Several persons were also reportedly missing following the incident, while others who survived were said to have suffered severe respiratory complications.
A community source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said trouble began while the youths were loading the product.
According to the source, a strong smell suddenly filled the area, causing several people to collapse.
“Many of them collapsed into the river, while others who managed to escape the scene had serious respiratory disorders and were being treated at the hospital.
“As I speak to you, over 37 bodies were identified as Okrika people, while six others were yet to be identified and many are still missing,” the source said.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, YEAC-Nigeria, also confirmed the incident, saying its network of youth volunteers and human rights defenders in the Niger Delta had reported the deaths.
The Executive Director of the organisation, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, said in a statement that no fewer than 37 persons suspected to have been involved in illegal oil activities died after inhaling what is locally referred to as “Indorama fuel.”
He said the victims were allegedly loading the petroleum product into waiting boats from an illegal tapping point while a vessel was simultaneously loading the product at the jetty.
Dumnamene explained that the youths had reportedly connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline transporting petroleum products from the Indorama Eleme Petrochemical facility through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels.
He said the fumes overwhelmed the youths, resulting in multiple deaths.
“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 stated.
Dumnamene called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency to immediately conduct a joint investigation into the incident.
He also urged the company whose facilities were allegedly vandalised to strengthen security around its pipelines to prevent a recurrence.
The YEAC-Nigeria director condemned the alleged sabotage and warned youths against approaching oil and gas infrastructure because of the dangers associated with high-pressure pipelines.
He also advocated alternative livelihood opportunities for youths in the Niger Delta, including the establishment of modular refineries and the legalisation of artisanal refining.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Command confirmed the incident but said its preliminary information indicated that the victims were attempting to steal crude oil.
The command’s spokesperson, Blessing Agabe, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said no official complaint had been received but that an investigation had commenced.
“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,” Agabe said.
However, the Commander of the Civilian JTF in Okrika LGA, Igwe Godswill, offered a different account.
Godswill said the victims had gone to scoop petroleum products that had spilled into the river when they were allegedly overwhelmed by fumes from a vessel loading products at the jetty.
Describing the incident as tragic, he said most of the victims were youths trying to make a living amid limited employment opportunities.
“It is so pathetic that this incident is happening in our community. These are young guys who have gone to search for their daily bread, only for the fumes from the fuel that was pumped to kill so many of our youths under the bridge,” he said.
Godswill added that several victims were choked to death and appealed to the government and community leaders to provide legitimate employment opportunities for young people in the area.
He said about 10 bodies had so far been recovered, although several could not be identified because of the condition of the remains.
“We saw about 10 of them. Four were still unrecognisable, while four persons were identified. The rest could not be identified because their bodies were badly damaged and their faces were severely affected,” he said.
The Civilian JTF commander urged the Rivers State Government, community leaders and other relevant authorities to address unemployment in the area, warning that simply stopping youths from engaging in dangerous activities would not solve the problem without alternative sources of livelihood.
He said people had continued to visit the area despite reports of deaths, stressing that the lack of viable economic opportunities was pushing youths towards hazardous activities.
