More than 10 people were reportedly killed by petroleum fumes at Okari Jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State on Wednesday.
The victims were said to have gone to the jetty to collect petroleum products that had spilled onto the water when fumes allegedly overwhelmed them, causing several to choke and die.
Igwe Godswill, Commander of the Civilian JTF in Okrika LGA, confirmed the incident in an interview with our reporter and described it as a tragedy involving mostly young people searching for a means of survival.
According to Godswill, the victims were scooping petroleum products from the water when they were exposed to fumes from a vessel loading petroleum products at the jetty.
He said about 10 bodies had been recovered, although identifying the victims had proved difficult because of the condition of some of the remains.
Godswill said four victims had been identified, while four others remained unrecognisable. He added that the condition of the remaining bodies had made identification difficult.
‘They were looking for their daily bread’
Godswill expressed concern that young people in the community were turning to hazardous activities because of a lack of reliable sources of income.
He said the victims should not simply be viewed as criminals or discouraged from returning to the jetty without addressing the economic pressures driving such activities.
He urged the Rivers State Government, community leaders and other relevant authorities to create legitimate employment opportunities for young people in Okrika.
“When you cannot feed your children, most times, those risky jobs become the only option,” he said.
Godswill also warned that simply restricting access to the area would not necessarily end the practice.
He claimed that people had continued going to the jetty even after news of the deaths emerged, underscoring what he described as the severity of the economic pressures facing residents.
Police give a different account
The Rivers State Police Command, however, offered a different account of the incident.
ASP Agabe Blessing Karbolo, the command’s spokesperson, said the victims reportedly died while attempting to steal crude oil.
Karbolo said the command had not received an official complaint about the incident as of the time the report was filed.
She added that police had begun investigating to determine the actual number of fatalities and establish what led to the deaths.
The conflicting accounts have left key questions about the circumstances of the incident unresolved, with authorities expected to establish what happened as the investigation progresses.