HOMEF seeks urgent action after reported deaths at Okrika jetty

The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), an environmental rights organisation, has called for urgent measures to protect communities living around petroleum infrastructure following reports of deaths at Okari Jetty Creeks in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Initial reports indicated that as many as 37 people were feared dead after allegedly inhaling fumes from a petroleum product locally known as “Indorama fuel” and technically identified as CRACK C5. Reports also indicated that an explosion occurred.

However, the casualty figure and circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear. While the Rivers State Police Command confirmed the incident and said investigations were ongoing, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said it had sighted four corpses but that the earlier figure of 37 deaths had not been verified.

There were also conflicting accounts of what the victims were doing when the incident occurred. While some reports linked the incident to access to petroleum products from a pipeline, residents and relatives disputed the claim. One victim’s wife, for instance, identified her husband as a fisherman.

HOMEF Executive Director, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, said the uncertainty surrounding the incident should not distract from the need to investigate the deaths and address the wider hazards faced by communities living around petroleum facilities.

“Up to 37 persons are reported to have breathed their last early this week at Okrika in Rivers State, Nigeria. Others are missing. There has yet to be an official or independent investigation into what caused the fatalities,” he said.

Bassey said the victims might have been exposed to hazardous gases, possibly resulting in asphyxiation, or may have drowned after losing consciousness and falling into the river.

He described the incident as an alarm over decades of hydrocarbon and toxic waste pollution in the Niger Delta, urging oil companies and relevant government agencies to strengthen their responsibility for protecting human health and the environment.

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Bassey also drew attention to other unresolved petroleum hazards in the region, including the wellhead fire at Ofiomina-Ama in Okrika, reportedly burning since February 2024; the Ororo-1 oil well fire off Awoye, Ondo State, reportedly burning since May 2020; and methane bubbling reported in Bille, Rivers State, since December 2025.

He urged authorities to prioritise environmental cleanup, facility maintenance and decommissioning of obsolete infrastructure.

“Fires may not be breaking out everywhere in the Niger Delta. Not yet. But the unfolding environmental genocide is inescapable,” Bassey said, adding that petroleum-related pollution exposes communities to hazardous substances, including benzene and hydrogen sulphide.

He called for the implementation of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission Report and urged stakeholders to pursue a just decommissioning process.

HOMEF further called on the Federal and Rivers State governments, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), petroleum operators and regulators to strengthen safety measures around petroleum infrastructure.

The organisation urged authorities to ensure proper maintenance and security of facilities, establish functional emergency response systems, improve community awareness of petroleum hazards and provide effective warning, monitoring and emergency response mechanisms.

It also cautioned against prematurely attributing the Okrika incident to oil theft, stressing that while any established illegal tampering should be addressed, the broader risks associated with hazardous and ageing petroleum infrastructure must not be overlooked.

HOMEF commiserated with the affected families and communities and called for appropriate support for victims, a transparent investigation to establish the circumstances and actual casualty figures, assessment of health and environmental risks, proper decommissioning of obsolete facilities and restoration of polluted environments.