Environmental activist and President of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, has warned of a deepening environmental and public health crisis in the Niger Delta following the reported deaths of at least 37 people at Okrika in Rivers State.
Bassey, in a statement, said the incident should serve as an urgent wake-up call to the Federal Government, oil companies and regulatory agencies over decades of hydrocarbon pollution, gas emissions and deteriorating petroleum infrastructure across the region.
At least 37 people reportedly died at Okari Jetty in Okrika in the early hours of Thursday after allegedly inhaling toxic fumes while attempting to siphon petroleum products from an illegally tapped pipeline. Several others were also reportedly missing.
The Rivers State Police Command confirmed the incident but did not release an official death toll, saying investigations were ongoing. Other reports have suggested that the number of fatalities could be higher.
Bassey said the victims were reportedly involved in the illegal siphoning of a petroleum product locally known as “Indorama fuel” from a pipeline operated by Indorama Eleme Petrochemical Company.
He cautioned against prematurely determining the cause of the deaths, saying an independent investigation was necessary to establish whether the victims died from exposure to noxious gases released under pressure, asphyxiation or drowning after losing consciousness and falling into the river.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), which also reported the incident, said more than 100 people had reportedly arrived at the location in boats to collect petroleum products from an illegally tapped point.
According to the organisation, some victims collapsed after being overwhelmed by fumes, while others reportedly fell into the river.
Bassey warned that the Okrika tragedy must not become another statistic in the long history of environmental disasters in the Niger Delta.
“Then silence. And the dead will become dead statistics,” he said, arguing that the persistent silence surrounding environmental degradation in the region was itself part of the problem.
The environmentalist drew a link between the Okrika deaths and the continuing gas emergency in Bille, also in Rivers State, where methane and other gases have reportedly been bubbling from rivers, swamps and wells.
Residents of Bille reportedly began noticing bubbling water accompanied by a sulphurous smell in October 2025, with the phenomenon subsequently spreading to other parts of the community.
Bassey said an assessment by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) reportedly detected methane, volatile organic compounds and hydrogen sulphide in ambient air around affected areas, with methane concentrations reportedly reaching levels capable of creating significant fire and explosion risks.
He criticised what he described as inadequate government intervention in Bille, saying the provision of relief materials, fire extinguishers and a fire truck was insufficient given the scale of the potential danger.
According to him, reported health problems among residents, particularly children and elderly people, suggested that the gas emissions posed risks beyond the immediate threat of fire and explosions.
“Truth is that Bille community is being gassed while the government and the oil companies are wringing their hands and watching from the sidelines,” Bassey said.
He also cited continuing oil fires and pollution in other parts of the Niger Delta, including the Ofiomina-Ama/Alakiri area of Okrika, where an oil-well fire has reportedly persisted for years, and the Ororo-1 well off Awoye in Ondo State.
The Ororo-1 oil-well fire, which began in 2020, has continued for more than six years, with residents and environmental groups raising concerns over prolonged exposure to smoke, soot and hazardous substances, as well as the impact on fishing livelihoods.
Bassey argued that the persistence of such incidents pointed to a systemic failure to properly decommission ageing oil infrastructure, prevent spills and protect communities located around petroleum facilities.
He also cited the recent oil spill at Nembe Creek on OML 29, which he said was reportedly linked to operational failure.
While condemning pipeline tampering, Bassey argued that the problem of oil theft could not be addressed solely by targeting individuals at the bottom of the chain while ignoring the wider network involved in the illicit trade.
“Oil thievery is an industrial activity with a long value chain, and players, so to speak,” he said.
He warned that the consequences of oil spills, gas flaring and burning oil wells extended beyond visible pollution, with hazardous substances such as benzene, hydrogen sulphide and other volatile hydrocarbons posing serious risks to human health and the environment.
Bassey called for urgent measures to clean up polluted communities, extinguish long-running oil-well fires, remove or replace obsolete infrastructure and strengthen pipeline security.
He also urged the authorities to implement recommendations contained in the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission Report and pursue what he described as a “just decommissioning” strategy as part of Nigeria’s energy transition.
He said the Okrika tragedy should not be viewed merely as another incident of illegal oil theft, but as a stark warning about the wider environmental and human costs of decades of petroleum exploitation.
“How many more tragedies before we know it is time to clean up the Niger Delta, quench the roaring flames, dismantle and remove decrepit facilities and secure all pipelines by replacing and burying them in the ground?” he asked.
“Our lives are worth more than crude oil,” Bassey added.
