By Obiabin Onukwugha
Environmental body, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), has called on the Federal and Rivers State governments to urgently strengthen safety measures around petroleum facilities, following reports of multiple deaths at Okari Jetty in Okrika local government area of Rivers State.
According to HOMEF, the incident which reportedly involved exposure to fumes from a petroleum product locally referred to as “Indorama fuel”, technically known as CRACK C5, has raised fresh concerns over the dangers faced by people living and working around oil and gas infrastructure in the Niger Delta.
HOMEF said, while there are conflicting accounts as to the actual number of deaths, the Okrika incident has also exposed the consequences of years of pollution and unsafe petroleum infrastructure across the Niger Delta region.
“This horrendous incident should be seen as an alarm over the extreme hydrocarbon and toxic waste pollution that has gone on for decades in the Niger Delta,” he said.
HOMEF in a statement by its Executive Director, Rev. Nnimmo Bassey, on Saturday, emphasised that the incident should push oil companies and government agencies to take their responsibility to protect people and the environment more seriously.
He pointed to other unresolved environmental hazards in the region, including a wellhead fire at Ofiomina-Ama in Okrika, which has reportedly been burning since February 2024. He also cited the Ororo-1 oil well fire off Awoye in Ondo State, which has been burning since May 2020, as well as methane bubbling reported in Bille, Rivers State, since December 2025.
“Fires may not be breaking out everywhere in the Niger Delta. Not yet. But the unfolding environmental genocide is inescapable,” Bassey said.
He warned that communities should not be exposed to toxic substances released from oil spills, gas flaring and burning crude.
“These hydrocarbons contain benzene, a known carcinogen, hydrogen sulphide, and other highly volatile hydrocarbons that can irritate, choke and kill,” he said.
Bassey questioned how many more deaths and environmental disasters would occur before authorities take decisive action. “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?” he asked.
He also called for the implementation of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission Report and advocated the proper decommissioning of obsolete petroleum infrastructure.
The body urged authorities and operators to provide communities with adequate warning systems, safety information, environmental monitoring and emergency response arrangements, stating that the Okrika incident should not simply be blamed on oil theft without first establishing what happened.
“If illegal tampering is established, it must be addressed,” Bassey said, stressing however, that the wider conditions that leave communities living alongside hazardous and abandoned petroleum infrastructure must also be addressed.
The body expressed sympathy to the families and communities affected by the incident and called for immediate support for those affected. It further demanded a transparent investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths and determine the actual number of casualties, alongside an urgent assessment of health and environmental risks around petroleum facilities.
