Okrika Pipeline Incident: NSCDC Confirms Death of Four Persons, Begins Probe into Cause of Casualty
Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The controversy surrounding the reported deaths at Jetty Creeks in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State deepened Saturday as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) confirmed that four corpses had been sighted in connection with the incident, while Indorama Petrochemical Limited denied any link to the reported fatalities.
The development came amid conflicting accounts over what caused the deaths and what the victims were doing at the time of the incident.
The NSCDC Rivers State Command, in an update issued by its spokesperson, Olufemi Ayodele, said its undercover team, after conducting further assessment and surveillance of the affected area, sighted four corpses believed to be connected to the incident.
The command, however, stressed that the identities of the deceased and the circumstances surrounding their deaths were still being verified.
One of the victims was identified as Taribo Levia, whose remains had reportedly been buried according to traditional customs. Other persons reportedly sighted were Ogoloma Tamunoene Fred, Amiso and Belema Siyerminma from Ngabiri.
The command said earlier casualty figures circulating in the aftermath of the incident were not fully verified and might have been overstated.
It said it had commenced further investigation and information gathering with relevant stakeholders to determine the immediate and remote causes of the incident, establish the identities of all victims and ascertain whether anyone remained unaccounted for.
The NSCDC also warned residents against vandalism, unauthorised access to petroleum facilities, illegal tampering with pipelines and the dangerous practice of scooping petroleum products.
According to Ayodele, “The command notes that the initial casualty figures circulating in the aftermath of the incident were not fully verified and may have been overstated. The command is therefore relying on information obtained through its ongoing field assessment and investigation to establish the actual number of victims.
“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,” Ayodele added.
But the management of Indorama, through Major Fidelis Akando (rtd.), Coordinator of Pipeline Surveillance in Indorama, dismissed reports linking the company or its facility to the deaths.
Akando, who spoke during an inspection of the area, said he had been stationed at the location since Monday in connection with the lifting of one of Indorama’s by-products, known as cracked C5, into a vessel.
He explained that stakeholders, including security agencies, had been mobilised for the operation and that there was heavy security presence around the jetty and pipeline corridor.
He said: “The distance between the petrochemical refinery and the jetty is about 7.5 kilometres and is covered by security personnel.”
He described as “embarrassing” and “very unfortunate” reports that between 37 and 40 people had died while allegedly scooping petroleum products from an Indorama pipeline.
Akando insisted that no such incident occurred within the facility or the area where he had been stationed since Monday.
He said while people had previously attempted to rupture pipelines carrying petroleum by-products, Indorama had neither authorised nor encouraged such activities.
“If a thief is injured in the course of stealing, will you blame the owner of the house?” he queried, stressing that the company had no connection with the alleged incident.
A visit to communities surrounding the NNPC jetty, in Okrika, also produced conflicting accounts.
Some residents denied witnessing any major fire outbreak or mass casualty in the area, although they acknowledged that people sometimes ventured into the waterways to collect petroleum products during loading operations.
However, residents in other parts of Okrika said some of the deceased were fishermen and had no involvement in illegal oil activities.
Residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that the victims were fishing around a creek near the Beat Four pipeline axis when the incident occurred.
They alleged that the victims inhaled a substance following an explosion and were unable to escape because of the movement of the water.
Arabibia Minanyo, whose husband was among those reported dead, said the incident occurred on Tuesday. She maintained that her husband was not involved in illegal oil activities and had since been buried according to the customs of the community.
The conflicting accounts have heightened calls for an independent and transparent investigation into the incident.
A resident, Jacob Fenabel, said: “That kind of thing does not happen in this area. You can see us, we are drinking. So, the news making the rounds in Port Harcourt and across the 40% I read one newspaper and they said that there is fire. If you go inside, you will not see anything like fire. The information is not true.
“You are live witness. When you come here, are we mourning? No. The answer is no. We are not mourning. When I saw on my phone on Facebook, I saw that kind of information. I said, where is it happening? I went around the creek and I didn’t see that kind of thing.”
The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) urged the federal and Rivers State governments, the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency and petroleum operators to establish the actual circumstances and casualty figure.
HOMEF Executive Director, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, said the uncertainty surrounding the incident should not distract from the broader dangers faced by communities located around petroleum infrastructure.
He cautioned against prematurely labelling the deceased as oil thieves before the facts were established.
Bassey also drew attention to other unresolved petroleum-related hazards, including the reported wellhead fire at Ofiomina-Ama in Okrika, Rivers State, and long-burning oil well fires in Ondo State.
He called for stronger protection of communities, proper maintenance and security of petroleum facilities, functional emergency response systems, hazard-warning mechanisms and adequate community safety measures.
As the NSCDC investigation continues, the actual number of victims, the precise location, cause of the incident, and the activities of those affected are yet to be established.