Tragedy struck at the Okari Jetty in the Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, South-South Nigeria on Thursday after dozens of persons, mostly youths were feared dead after inhaling toxic fumes during an illegal fuel-siphoning operation.
According to local reports, the victims converged on the waterfront in the early hours of Thursday to scoop petroleum products spilling from an illegally tapped point before their untimely death.
While community sources and local estimates put the death toll at over 35 the Rivers State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has so far confirmed four corpses connected to the incident.
Reacting to the disaster, NSCDC State Commandant, Reuben Dennis, in a statement made available to AIT.live by his media aide, Olufemi Ayodele, commiserated with the affected families and announced that a full-scale investigation is underway.
He further stated that the command is collaborating with sister agencies to verify the exact casualty figures and probe potential facility access or criminal negligence.
NSCDC also condemned illegal bunkering and pipeline tapping, warning perpetrators to desist or face the full weight of the law.
He noted that the recent deployment of two gunboats by the Commandant-General, Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has boosted the command’s capacity to patrol vulnerable maritime corridors and secure critical national assets.
He appealed to members of the public to provide credible and timely information regarding suspicious activities around oil and gas facilities across the state.
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(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
