Okrika, Nigeria, Sept. 4 — At least 37 people are dead after suspected oil thieves siphoning fuel under high pressure at the Okari Jetty in Rivers State were overcome by toxic fumes, according to the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), which is disputing the government’s silence on the toll.
The group said victims were loading petroleum products into boats from an unauthorised tapping point when a strong odour swept the jetty and people began collapsing, some falling into the river where bodies reportedly remain unrecovered. Others were rushed for treatment after struggling to breathe.
Rivers State police spokesperson Blessing Kaborlo Agabe confirmed an investigation was underway but stopped short of verifying the death toll, saying only that officers were working “to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and ascertain the facts.” Police described the victims as suspected fuel thieves. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps said the substance involved still required technical confirmation and that casualty figures remained unverified.
If confirmed, the toll would mark the deadliest known incident of its kind in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta since at least 2023, a region long scarred by pipeline vandalism and illegal bunkering that has repeatedly turned fatal. YEAC-Nigeria has urged residents to steer clear of tampering with oil infrastructure, calling instead for the government to create safer economic alternatives for communities drawn into the illicit trade.