Rivers Toxic Fumes Survivor Relives the Night That Killed 37

By Temitope Adebiyi, Correspondent

Okirika Local Government Area remained peaceful over the weekend, with businesses operating normally. Shops were open, and local markets bustled with activity.

The busy commercial streets were flooded with young motorcyclists aggressively fighting other motorists for the right of way.

Nothing in this lively scene hinted at the massive tragedy that had recently struck Okirika

Security forces at the Okari jetty entrance appeared oblivious to the alleged disaster. They denied any such incident occurred and barred our reporter from the site.

“There is nothing like that. Maybe you have to go into the community to find out. This is an official jetty of the NNPC,” one of them said.

Inside the communities, however, the story was different. Groups of residents spoke about the incident in hushed tones, referring to it simply as an accident.

Several communities reportedly lost able-bodied youths in the incident, with Ayingibiri, Amanagobiri, Ngobiri and Ogoloma among those said to have been worst affected.

Residents said the tragedy occurred late on Wednesday night and extended into the early hours of Thursday.

The victims had gone into the creeks in what residents described as their ‘normal business’: illegally taking petroleum products from a boat. Many in the communities call the product “Indorama fuel”. The practice forms part of the oil theft that has become normalised in several Okirika communities.

A survivor and eyewitness who simply identified himself as John said he watched several people fall into the water and drown.

“We called this thing hustling. That is the only business we do because there is no job. Whenever a vessel arrived at the terminal to get a supply of petroleum products, we seized that opportunity to also fill our boat.

“On Tuesday night, when a ship anchored at the terminal, we knew it was time to storm the creeks. Many of us from various communities went there. But most of them are not experienced. Some of us have been doing this business for many years, and that is why I was able to escape.

“I watched and studied the boat carefully. As it took on products. I heard a cracking sound, and as I heard the sound a second time, I knew it was time to leave the scene. I pulled backwards before the big boat crashed under the weight of the product.

“So, instead of fleeing from the scene, many saw it as an opportunity to scoop the spilt products. As they rushed, they closely inhaled the toxic fumes that had already saturated the air. It was a creek where the air was thick. Many immediately collapsed.”

John said the tragedy could have been avoided if those involved had possessed the required experience.

“From what I witnessed and experienced, this tragedy was caused largely by carelessness, desperation and greed. As of today, I have personally assisted in bringing back the bodies of two people I knew. So far, more than 30 people are believed to have lost their lives, while the search for additional bodies is still ongoing.

“There was no fire on the ground when the incident occurred. However, the petroleum product involved was highly volatile and explosive. We usually call it Indoroma fuel. I have survived a similar incident in the past, and that experience has made me extremely conscious and alert whenever I am around such products.

“Although I had previously decided never to get involved in such activities again, the harsh realities of hunger and poverty often push people into dangerous situations.

“According to my observation, many of those who died were not necessarily present when the incident initially started. Some people reportedly rushed to the scene later, apparently hoping to collect spilt petroleum products. Sadly, many of them became victims.

“I heard an unusual and frightening sound coming from the boat carrying the product and immediately fled the area. That decision is the reason I am alive today.

“Another survivor inhaled a significant amount of the product while trying to escape. Although he survived, his condition became critical, and he was behaving abnormally, staggering and falling.

“Many of those who jumped into the water in an attempt to escape are among those confirmed dead. Based on the experience and knowledge we have gained over the years from similar incidents, once such unusual sounds are heard from a boat carrying volatile petroleum products, the safest thing to do is to immediately flee the area.

“The incident occurred between 2 am and 3 am. Many of those who were initially at the scene managed to escape. However, those who arrived later, particularly to scoop or collect the spilt product, suffered the greatest number of casualties.”

According to him, it was not the first time such a tragedy had occurred.

“Similar incidents happened last year and the year before,” he said. “In one particularly heartbreaking case, a single family lost one of their sons and this time around they lost the younger one again.”

John said a search team was still in the creeks looking for more bodies and that many youths remained missing.

At a waterside under the Ogoloma bridge, women sold fresh fish, pepper, onions and palm oil. One of them, who spoke in confidence, lamented the repeated loss of young men to similar incidents.

“This is recurrent. It is not the first time. These boys only go to the creeks to hustle because there is nothing left for them to do. It has become their source of livelihood. This time around, the death toll was unimaginable. Many of them lost their lives. I am also bereaved because four of my cousins were among the casualties”.

She added: “In our community, about six bodies were brought to our waterside. The death toll in our community is not as much as the one in other communities where many people died.”

She called on the government to provide job opportunities for youths in Okirika and other oil-producing communities.

Another resident, a young woman who identified herself simply as Miller, said the father of her child was among the casualties. She said she had been crying since the incident occurred.

“Sam was the father of my baby. Though we didn’t end up together as a couple, he took care of his responsibilities. He paid my child’s school fees and bought her clothes and all her needs. I am crying for my daughter because I don’t know how to go about taking care of her”, she said.

Miller said her late “baby father” had been a creek hustler.

“He has been hustling in the creeks, and he believed that he would not die in the creeks. He would have died a long time ago because he used to come in contact with pirates. I didn’t know he would eventually die this way”.

She said the choking smell of the “Indoroma fuel” killed him and others.

“Even that morning when we went to the waterside, we could still perceive the choking smell of the Indoroma fuel.”

Miller acknowledged the dangers involved in the activity, but said poverty continued to drive young people into it.

“It is very risky, and it involves life and death. But it is where there is money that you have death. Even people who work in offices don’t know what will happen to them.”

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She said similar incidents had claimed many youths in the community.

“This is not the first time we are losing many youths in this community. Last time, we buried many. This time around, we are also burying many.

“But my concern is my child, who was fond of his father before this incident. You can imagine, for three days now, she has not been able to set her eyes on her father.

“This is someone who would abandon her food to jump on her father each time her father called her by her pet name, ‘Girly.’ I know she will be fine. She will overcome it, but it will be difficult. We buried him on Wednesday.”

A community leader, who also pleaded anonymity, said the incident had affected the communities adversely.

“The incident took many lives. Many youths died, but I cannot tell you how many. I haven’t gone before, so I would not say exactly how they died.”

He said the lack of employment had driven many youths into illegal bunkering and appealed for government intervention.

“We are begging the government for job opportunities. Many people want to go to school, but there is no support. We don’t have other companies apart from the refineries.

“So, if other companies come in, they will create job opportunities. If I get a job and go to work in the morning, I won’t be able to go for oil bunkering at night.

“This is the reason why youths go about doing things they are not supposed to do. There is no work. If I don’t go, it doesn’t mean others won’t go. They are only trying to earn a living,” he said.

The community leader said the king of the area, King Ateke Tom, had previously sent town criers to communities warning residents against entering the creeks whenever a vessel arrived to load products.

“The king tried to stop this kind of thing from happening again. But because of hunger, people will still beat the security put in place to enter the jetty. But when all the kings come together, they will be able to stop it. The bottom line is there is no work, and we are begging our politicians to bring more development to our area,” he said.

Despite the uncertainty over the exact casualty figure, residents said an unusually large number of youths had died.

The waterside was calm on Friday, though bodies had been brought there earlier for identification.

The deceased were buried after their corpses were identified. It was gathered that the bodies were not interred within the communities because local custom forbids the burial of people who die in such circumstances within the community’s earth.

“This kind of people are not buried within the communities. Their bodies are taken across the water for burial. They only brought them to the waterside for identification and later evacuated across the river for burial,” the community leader said.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Rivers State Command, said it had begun an on-the-spot assessment to establish the casualty figures.

In a statement signed by Chief Superintendent Olufemi Ayodele, Special Adviser, Media and Communication, to the Rivers Command of NSCDC, the corps said it had so far sighted four bodies.

“One of the victims earlier identified was TARIBO Levia, whose remains have reportedly been buried according to the traditional customs of the community. Other deceased persons reportedly sighted include Ogoloma Tamunoene Fred, Amiso, and Belema Siyerminma from Ngabiri.

“The Command is therefore relying on information obtained through its ongoing field assessment and investigation to establish the actual number of victims.

“It is also important to clarify that security agencies, including the Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) Joint Task Force, have been providing security coverage around the facility. However, the location where the incident occurred is considerably distant from the Joint Task Force’s designated Area of Responsibility (AOR), which is relevant to understanding the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“The Rivers State Commandant noted that the NSCDC has commenced further investigation and information gathering in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to establish the immediate and remote causes of the incident, ascertain the identities of all victims and determine whether any persons remain unaccounted for.

“The Command in strong terms warns members of the public against vandalism, illegal tampering with petroleum infrastructure, unauthorised access to oil facilities and the dangerous practice of scooping petroleum products. Such activities are not only criminal but can result in fatalities, serious injuries and environmental damage.

“Dr Dennis Reuben further urges members of oil-producing and riverine communities to desist from engaging in activities capable of endangering their lives and to promptly report suspicious activities around critical national assets to security agencies”.

The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), however, put the casualty figure at 37.

An eyewitness said the figure represented youths from Okirika whose bodies had been identified, while the origins of six others could not be established.

The Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the site.

“We also call on the companies that own the vandalised facilities to provide adequate security on their pipelines to prevent a recurrence of this ugly incident.

“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.

“While calling for investigation into the incident, the Advocacy Centre also calls on the government to provide alternative livelihood opportunities, including the canvassed modular refineries and the legalisation of artisanal refining.

“This can be achieved through the establishment of YEAC-Nigeria’s proposed Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI) as well as the proposed Niger Delta Industrial Park to provide alternative opportunities for displaced artisanal refiners in the Niger Delta”.

Meanwhile, a Port Harcourt-based civil society organisation, LightHope Succor Worldwide Initiative, has disputed reports that 37 people died after allegedly inhaling toxic fumes at Okari Jetty in Okrika Mainland, Rivers State.

The organisation said preliminary enquiries conducted following the circulation of the report showed that security agencies responsible for the area had no record of such an incident occurring at the jetty on September 3, 2026.

In a statement issued on Friday by Evelyn Williams on behalf of the organisation, LightHope said it sought clarification from senior officials of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Army after the alleged mass-casualty incident was reported.

According to the group, all three security agencies said no such incident occurred at Okari Jetty on the date cited in the report.

“Consequently, our preliminary investigation has been unable to establish the veracity of the reported 37 fatalities. The information obtained from the relevant security authorities instead indicates that the report is fake news and without credible factual basis,” the organisation said.