At least 37 suspected oil thieves reportedly died at Okari Jetty in Okrika Mainland, Rivers State, after inhaling a petroleum substance believed to have been crude oil during an alleged illegal oil-loading operation, according to the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, the Rivers State Police Command and community sources.

The incident occurred after more than 100 people from Okrika and neighbouring communities reportedly arrived at the coastal jetty in locally made boats to load petroleum products from an illegally tapped point.

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A strong smell reportedly spread through the area as the product was being pumped, causing several people to collapse.

Some victims reportedly fell into the river, while others who escaped were said to have developed severe respiratory problems and were taken to hospital.

A community source who spoke on condition of anonymity said more than 37 bodies had been identified as people from Okrika, while six others remained unidentified and several people were still missing.

The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, YEAC-Nigeria, also confirmed reports of the deaths.

Its Executive Director, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, said the victims had inhaled what residents locally called “Indorama fuel”.

Dumnamene said the incident happened at about midnight at Okari Jetty and involved an illegal connection to a pipeline carrying petroleum products.

According to him, the victims were attempting to load the product into waiting boats while a vessel was simultaneously loading from the tapped pipeline.

“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,” Dumnamene said.

He added that some bodies had reportedly been seen floating on the river but had not yet been recovered.

The Rivers State Police Command confirmed the incident but said the circumstances were still being investigated.

The command’s spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Police Blessing Agabe, said the victims were allegedly attempting to steal crude oil.

“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.

Agabe added that an investigation had commenced to establish what happened and determine the facts surrounding the deaths.

The account from the police differs slightly from the description provided by YEAC-Nigeria, which said the substance was locally known as “Indorama fuel” and that it was being pumped at high pressure.

The exact nature of the substance involved has yet to be independently established.

The tragedy comes against a wider backdrop of persistent oil theft, pipeline vandalism and illegal refining activities across the Niger Delta.

Nigeria’s upstream regulator, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, has said crude theft and pipeline vandalism remain significant challenges to the country’s petroleum industry.

The commission reported that crude losses had fallen substantially in recent years, while continuing to work with security agencies and operators to protect oil infrastructure.

The Okrika area is particularly intertwined with petroleum infrastructure.

Research and environmental assessments have documented pipelines and petroleum facilities connecting the Port Harcourt Refinery, Indorama’s industrial facilities and other oil infrastructure around Okrika and neighbouring Eleme communities.

Recent enforcement operations have also highlighted the scale of illegal petroleum activity in the region. On September 2, 2026, the Nigerian Navy reported discovering three suspected illegal refining sites, six reservoirs and about 99,000 litres of products suspected to be stolen crude oil and illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil in operations across Rivers and Delta states.

The authorities’ response has increasingly combined security operations with efforts to protect critical infrastructure.

In June, NUPRC and the Federal Ministry of Defence agreed to deepen cooperation on securing oil and gas facilities, with the regulator pointing to stronger security, technology and manpower as part of efforts to improve production stability.

The dangers associated with illegal oil activities are not new in the Niger Delta. In October 2023, at least 37 people were reported killed in an explosion at an illegal refining site in Ibaa, Rivers State, with two pregnant women among those reported dead.

The incident renewed concerns about the lethal conditions surrounding artisanal refining and crude oil theft.

Environmental authorities have also recognised oil theft and artisanal refining as serious hazards requiring monitoring and response.

The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, lists oil theft and artisanal refining among activities within its oil-spill and environmental monitoring work.

For the families of those involved in Thursday’s incident, however, the statistics translate into a devastating loss of life.

Dumnamene called on NOSDRA to conduct a Joint Investigation Visit to the location to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and assess its environmental implications.

He also urged the company whose facilities were allegedly vandalised to strengthen security around its pipelines and prevent further incidents.

“The Advocacy Centre condemns this act of sabotage by the youths and warns them to stay away from oil and gas infrastructure due to the high pressure and associated dangers,” Dumnamene said.

He also called for alternative livelihood opportunities in the affected communities, including support for modular refineries and the legalisation of artisanal refining as part of a broader response to the economic pressures driving some residents towards dangerous activities.

The immediate priority remains establishing the number of people who died, recovering those still missing and determining precisely what substance caused the reported fatalities.

The investigation by the Rivers State Police Command, alongside any independent environmental assessment, is expected to provide a clearer account of how the incident unfolded.

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For Okrika and neighbouring communities, the deaths offer another grim reminder of the human cost surrounding illegal oil activities in a region where petroleum infrastructure and vulnerable coastal settlements exist side by side.