37 dead in Nigeria oil pipeline theft, NGO says

At least 37 people died early Thursday after inhaling fumes during suspected fuel theft from a pipeline in Rivers State in Nigeria's Niger Delta, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre said.

The local NGO said the deaths happened in the Okrika Local Government Area and that those killed were suspected oil thieves. It said many others were still missing.

The organisation said youths had connected a pipe to a tapping point on a pipeline that normally transports crude from Indorama Eleme Petrochemical through the Port Harcourt Refinery to vessels loading for export. It said they tapped the pipeline and were loading oil into boats.

“Many are still missing, and some corpses have been seen floating on the river but have not yet been recovered,” the organisation said.

Rivers State police confirmed an incident and said the victims were allegedly trying to steal oil, but did not give a death toll.

Oil theft is a major problem in Nigeria, an OPEC member and one of Africa's largest petroleum producers. Accidents are common in Niger Delta swamps, where smugglers tap pipelines to steal crude and refine it into fuel for sale.

The opposition African Democratic Congress blamed the accident on what it called the country's economic situation, saying it forces people to take desperate action. The party's candidate Atiku Abubakar is due to challenge President Bola Tinubu in elections in January.

Tinubu introduced economic reforms after taking office in 2023, and the supplied account links them to high inflation, rising fuel prices and rising poverty.

YEAC-Nigeria called on the government to provide alternative livelihood opportunities, including legalisation of artisanal refining.