About 37 persons have reportedly died after inhaling a toxic petroleum product while allegedly loading illegally tapped “Indorama fuel” at Okari Jetty in the Okrika Mainland area of Rivers State.
Several others were said to be missing following the incident, which reportedly occurred around midnight on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
It was gathered that more than 200 persons, mostly youths from neighbouring communities, had stormed the jetty in locally made boats to load the product from an illegally tapped point.
A community source, who spoke in confidence, said the pungent odour from the petroleum product filled the atmosphere during the illegal loading operation, causing several people to collapse.
According to the source, some of the victims fell into the river, while others who escaped the scene developed severe respiratory complications and were rushed to hospital for treatment.

The source said 37 bodies had so far been identified as indigenes of Okrika, while six others were yet to be identified, adding that several persons remained missing.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) confirmed the incident, saying its network of youth volunteers and human rights defenders in Okrika Local Government Area had reported the deaths.
The Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said about 37 persons suspected to be involved in oil theft died after inhaling what is locally referred to as “Indorama fuel.”
He said the incident occurred at Okari Jetty while a vessel was loading the product and suspected oil thieves were simultaneously filling their boats from an illegal tapping point.
According to him, the victims allegedly connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline conveying products from Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals els that reportedly arrive periodically to load the product for export.

through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels that reportedly arrive periodically to load the product for export.
Fyneface said the product was being pumped at high pressure when those involved in the illegal loading operation inhaled the fumes, resulting in the deaths.
He added that some corpses had reportedly been sighted floating on the river but had yet to be recovered, while several others remained missing.
Fyneface called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the scene to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
He also urged the companies whose facilities were allegedly vandalised to strengthen security around their pipelines to prevent further incidents.
The YEAC-Nigeria director condemned the alleged sabotage, warning youths involved in oil theft to stay away from petroleum iated with high-pressure pipelines and toxic hydrocarbon products.

infrastructure because of the dangers associated with high-pressure pipelines and toxic hydrocarbon products.
He, however, called for government intervention through alternative livelihood programmes, including the promotion of modular refineries and the legalisation of artisanal refining.
Fyneface advocated the establishment of the proposed Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI) and the Niger Delta Industrial Park as measures to create alternative economic opportunities for displaced artisanal refiners in the region.
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer in Rivers State, ASP Agabe Blessing Karbalo, confirmed the incident.
She, however, said investigations were ongoing to establish the actual number of casualties and determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Four members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have died in the course of their national service, while 12 others have been ordered to repeat the service year for various infractions in Rivers State.
The disclosure was made last Thursday during the low-key passing-out ceremony for 2,538 members of the 2025 Batch ‘B’ Stream II Corps Members who served in the Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City Local Government Area (PHALGA) zones of Rivers State.
The ceremony was held at the Convocation Arena of the Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt.
Giving a breakdown of the Corps Members’ final service status, the Rivers State NYSC Coordinator, Moses Oleghe, said 48 Corps Members, comprising 28 males and 20 females, had their service extended, while 12 others, five males and seven females, were directed to repeat the national service year.

directed to repeat the national service year.
He also disclosed that four Corps Members paid the supreme sacrifice during the service year.
Oleghe urged the outgoing Corps Members to uphold the values acquired during their national service and apply the skills they had learnt to build productive careers and contribute meaningfully to society.
“Do right at all times to all men and women, and activate fully the skills that you learnt in the course of the service year”, he advised.
He cautioned the corps members against the growing obsession with getting rich quickly, urging them instead to embrace hard work, discipline, dignity in labour and the fear of God.
The NYSC Coordinator encouraged the graduates to remain responsible citizens and use their experiences and skills from the service year to positively impact their communities and the country.
The Special Guest of Honour and Vice-Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, also charged the Corps Members to maintain high ethical standards after leaving the NYSC scheme.
Zeb-Obipi urged them to “continue to promote ethical values that will project their personal image and family name, positively.”
He assured corps members interested in pursuing postgraduate studies that Rivers State University would warmly welcome them and provide the necessary assistance to facilitate their integration into the institution.

The Rivers State House of Assembly has opened a fresh front in its dispute with PAMO University of Medical Sciences, constituting a seven-member ad hoc committee to probe funds released to the institution by the state government since its establishment in 2017.
The investigation, approved by the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, is being conducted under Section 128 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The seven-member committee is chaired by Dumle Maol. Other members are Silvanus Nwankwo, Lemchi Nyeche, Henrietta Loolo, Peter Abbey, Napoleon Ukalikpe and Emilia Amadi.

The committee is expected to establish the total amount of public funds released to PAMO University over the years and determine whether the money was utilised for the purposes for which it was provided.
It will also investigate the university’s scholarship scheme, including the number and identities of beneficiaries, if any, alongside other issues relating to the management and utilisation of government funds.

the management and utilisation of government funds.
The development is likely to deepen the controversy surrounding the university and the Assembly, coming shortly after the legislature declined to approve the N6 billion allocation proposed for PAMO University in the state’s 2026 budget.
The Assembly’s latest action also comes against the backdrop of a legal threat issued by PAMO University to the Speaker.
The university, through its solicitors, had demanded the retraction of what it described as malicious and defamatory apology.

comments attributed to Hon. Amaewhule concerning the institution, as well as a public apology.
The university warned that failure to meet its demands could result in legal action against the Speaker.
With the Assembly now launching a formal probe into the university’s funding, the dispute appears set to assume a broader financial and constitutional dimension.
The committee is expected to submit its findings and recommendations to the House on or before September 30, 2026.