Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
37 persons suspected of engaging in illegal oil bunkering lost their lives in Rivers State after inhaling a petroleum product believed to have been siphoned from a pipeline linked to oil and gas facilities in the area.
The incident occurred around midnight on Thursday at Okari Jetty in Okrika Local Government Area, where scores of youths had allegedly gathered to load the product into boats from an illegal tapping point connected to a pipeline.
Reports indicated that more than 100 persons from Okrika and neighbouring communities arrived at the jetty in locally made boats to collect the product when a strong odour suddenly spread through the area.
A community source said several of the youths collapsed after inhaling the substance, while others fell into the river during the confusion. Survivors were said to have suffered severe respiratory complications and were taken to hospital for treatment.
“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 confirmed the incident, stating that its network of youth volunteers and human rights defenders in the Niger Delta received reports of multiple deaths linked to the illegal operation.
The Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, said the victims allegedly inhaled what was locally referred to as “Indorama fuel” while loading the product from a vandalised pipeline.
According to him, the pipeline transports petroleum products from the Indorama Eleme Petrochemical facility through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels that regularly load products for export.
“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,” Dumnamene said.
The advocacy group called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency to carry out a joint investigation at the scene and urged operators of the affected facilities to strengthen pipeline security to prevent further vandalism and oil theft incidents.
Confirming the development, police spokesperson Blessing Agabe said the victims died while attempting to steal crude oil. She added that although no formal complaint had been received, an investigation had commenced to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident and establish the facts.
