Okrika Deaths: Bassey Warns of Toxic Environmental Crisis in Niger Delta

By: Michael Mike

Environmental activist and President of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, has warned that the reported death of at least 37 people at Okrika in Rivers State has exposed the deepening environmental and public health crisis confronting communities across the Niger Delta.

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 oil infrastructure in the region.

At least 37 people reportedly died at the 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 reportedly missing.

The incident has been confirmed by the Rivers State Police Command, although the police have not released an official death toll and said investigations were ongoing. Other reports have also put the possible number of fatalities higher than 37.

According to Bassey, the victims were reportedly involved in illegal siphoning of a petroleum product locally referred to as “Indorama fuel” from a pipeline operated by Indorama Eleme Petrochemical Company.

He said the exact cause of the deaths should be established through an independent investigation, noting that the victims could have died from inhaling 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 area in boats to collect petroleum products from an illegally tapped point. Some victims reportedly collapsed after being overcome by fumes, while others fell into the river.

Bassey said the tragedy should not be allowed to become another statistic in the long history of environmental disasters in the Niger Delta.

“Then silence. And the dead will become dead statistics,” he warned, arguing that the silence surrounding environmental degradation in the region was itself part of the problem.

The environmentalist drew parallels 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.

Reports indicate that residents of Bille began observing bubbling water accompanied by a sulphurous smell in October 2025, with the phenomenon subsequently spreading to other locations in the community.

A later 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. Methane concentrations were also reported to have reached levels posing significant fire and explosion risks.

Bassey criticised what he described as inadequate government responses to the Bille emergency, arguing that relief materials, fire extinguishers and the provision of a fire truck were insufficient in the face of the potential risks.

He said residents, particularly children and elderly people, had been experiencing health problems which, in his view, suggested that the consequences of the gas emissions extended beyond the immediate risk of fire.

“Truth is that Bille community is being gassed while the government and the oil companies are wringing their hands and watching from the sidelines,” he said.

Bassey also pointed to continuing oil fires and pollution elsewhere in the Niger Delta, citing the Ofiomina-Ama/Alakiri area of Okrika, where an oil-well fire has reportedly continued 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 damage to fishing livelihoods.

According to Bassey, the persistence of such incidents demonstrates what he described as a systemic failure to properly decommission ageing infrastructure, prevent oil spills and protect communities living around oil and gas facilities.

He further cited the recent oil spill at Nembe Creek on OML 29, which he said was reportedly linked to operational failure.

The environmentalist argued that the problem could not be addressed simply by condemning oil theft while ignoring the broader conditions that have allowed illegal oil activities and environmental degradation to persist.

He acknowledged that those who tampered with the pipeline could be regarded as criminals, but maintained that oil theft itself involved a wider network of actors and could not be reduced to the actions of individuals operating at the bottom of the chain.

“Oil thievery is an industrial activity with a long value chain, and players, so to speak,” he said.

Bassey warned that the environmental consequences of oil spills, gas flaring and burning oil wells went beyond visible pollution, pointing to the release of hazardous substances, including benzene, hydrogen sulphide and other volatile hydrocarbons.

He called for urgent action to clean up polluted areas of the Niger Delta, extinguish long-running oil-well fires, remove or replace obsolete infrastructure and improve the security of pipelines.

He also called for the implementation of recommendations contained in the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission Report, as well as a transition strategy centred on what he described as “just decommissioning” rather than an unjust transition.

Bassey said the Okrika tragedy should therefore be treated not merely as another case of illegal oil theft, but as a warning about the broader environmental and human consequences of Nigeria’s decades-old petroleum industry.

“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.

He added: “Our lives are worth more than crude oil.”

Okrika Deaths: Bassey Warns of Toxic Environmental Crisis in Niger Delta

Iran Condemns Alleged US Strike on Wedding Ceremony, Says 68 Civilians Killed or Injured

By: Michael Mike

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran has condemned an alleged United States military strike on a wedding ceremony in southern Iran, saying the attack killed or injured 68 civilians and turned a family celebration into a scene of tragedy.

In a statement issued by its Press Department, the embassy said the incident occurred on September 1 at a wedding ceremony in Bandar Kuhestak, Sirik County, southern Iran.

It alleged that U.S. munitions directly struck the site where families had gathered for the private ceremony, resulting in deaths and injuries among civilians, including women and children.

The embassy described the victims as ordinary people who had no involvement in military decision-making and posed no threat to the United States.

It questioned the justification for what it described as a U.S. military attack on a residential location where a wedding was taking place, urging the international community to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The Iranian government also linked the reported incident to an earlier U.S. attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab, which it said resulted in the deaths of a large number of Iranian children and other civilians.

According to the embassy, reports concerning the Minab attack had similarly pointed to the use of U.S. missiles.

“From the school in Minab to the wedding ceremony in Kuhestak,” the embassy said, “ordinary Iranian people are paying the price of U.S. military aggression.”

The statement also raised questions about the distinction between civilian and military targets, asking what military connection a school or a wedding ceremony could have and what threat children, women and families could pose to U.S. national security.

The embassy’s condemnation comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions and military confrontation between Iran and the United States, with both sides facing international scrutiny over attacks and their impact on civilians.

Invoking international law, the Iranian embassy maintained that Iran did not initiate what it described as the latest aggression and argued that the United States had attacked the territory of a sovereign state.

It cited Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognises the inherent right of states to individual or collective self-defence in the event of an armed attack.

The embassy argued that a country subjected to military attack should not subsequently have its defensive actions automatically characterised as a threat or destabilising conduct.

It nevertheless stressed that the protection of civilians remained a fundamental principle of international humanitarian law and should be applied without discrimination.

“The life of an Iranian child, an Iranian woman, or an ordinary Iranian citizen is no less valuable than the life of any other human being,” the statement said.

The embassy urged the international community not to allow civilian deaths in Iran to become normalised, warning that silence over attacks on civilians could encourage further tragedies.

It said the reported deaths and injuries at the wedding should not be treated merely as another headline in the cycle of war, but should prompt scrutiny of the circumstances and legality of attacks affecting civilian populations.

“A wedding ceremony should never become a battlefield,” the embassy declared, adding that civilians should not bear the cost of military ambitions.

The statement did not include a response from the U.S. government to the allegations.

Iran Condemns Alleged US Strike on Wedding Ceremony, Says 68 Civilians Killed or Injured

UN Women Disowns GADA Fundraising for Women Candidates, Warns Against Misuse of Logo

By: Michael Mike

UN Women Nigeria has disassociated itself from fundraising materials circulated by Gender & Development Action (GADA) in connection with preparations for Nigeria’s forthcoming general elections, saying it neither authorised nor supports the initiative.

The organisation, in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, said it became aware of materials associated with GADA that used the UN Women name and the branding and logo of the Women Political Participation (WPP) Working Group while soliciting financial contributions for individual female political candidates.

UN Women Nigeria said it was concerned that the use of its name and WPP Working Group branding alongside the fundraising appeals could create the misleading impression that the United Nations agency or the working group endorsed, sponsored or supported the fundraising initiative and the candidates involved.

“As part of the United Nations system, UN Women is bound by the principles of impartiality, independence and political neutrality,” it said, stressing that the UN and its entities do not endorse, campaign for, support or oppose political parties or individual candidates.

The organisation clarified that neither UN Women nor the WPP Working Group had authorised the use of its name, logo, branding or visual identity for fundraising intended to benefit individual political candidates or electoral campaigns.

It also stated categorically that it does not endorse any political candidate or party, nor does it solicit, sponsor or facilitate fundraising for political candidates or electoral campaigns.

According to the statement, the WPP Working Group similarly does not authorise the use of its branding for political fundraising, while GADA’s fundraising activities in question were neither endorsed, sponsored nor supported by UN Women or the working group.

UN Women Nigeria said it had formally communicated its concerns to GADA and requested the organisation to cease and desist from using the UN Women name, logo, branding or WPP-associated visual identity in connection with political fundraising.

It further requested GADA to remove the relevant materials from its online and offline platforms and issue a clarification stating that neither UN Women nor the WPP Working Group endorsed, sponsored or supported the fundraising initiative.

The agency, however, said it valued its partnerships with organisations working to promote women’s political participation in Nigeria, including GADA and other civil society organisations.

It stressed that such partnerships must operate within the principles of impartiality, independence and political neutrality governing the work of the United Nations.

UN Women said its commitment to women’s political participation remained strong, explaining that its programmes were designed to promote women’s leadership and equal representation in governance through non-partisan and inclusive initiatives that support women across political affiliations.

It added that its work did not constitute an endorsement or support for any individual candidate, political party or electoral campaign.

The organisation said it would continue to work with the government, civil society, women leaders, political stakeholders and other partners to create an enabling environment for all women, regardless of political affiliation, to participate meaningfully and equally in political and public life.

It therefore urged stakeholders to ensure that the UN Women name, logo and WPP Working Group branding were not used in any manner that could imply UN endorsement of political fundraising or electoral campaigning.

UN Women Disowns GADA Fundraising for Women Candidates, Warns Against Misuse of Logo