The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) has questioned whether the recurring deaths linked to pipeline vandalism and illegal petroleum activities have become a government strategy for discouraging pipeline vandalism instead of strengthening the protection of critical oil infrastructure.
YEAC-Nigeria Executive Director Dr Fyneface Fyneface, raised the concern in a statement made available to journalists in Port Harcourt on Monday, September 21, 2026.
Fyneface said the increasing deaths of citizens involved in illegal resource extraction had raised concerns about the government’s approach to natural resource governance, product security and pipeline protection.
He cited previous incidents, including deaths at an illegal refinery site in Rumuekpe in 2021, more than 100 deaths reportedly linked to illegal refining activities in the Ohaji/Egbema-Onelga axis along the Rivers-Imo boundary in 2022, and the deaths of more than 35 people, including pregnant women, at Ibaa, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, in October 2023.
According to him, more than 74 people have allegedly died in Rivers State in September 2026 alone in incidents linked to illegal petroleum resource tapping, while another 37 people reportedly died in connection with alleged illegal mining activities in Niger State.
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He said the contrasting public reactions to the reported deaths in Niger State and Rivers State raised concerns about how authorities and communities respond to fatalities associated with illegal resource exploitation.
“The death of citizens involved in illegal activities, which the authorities and facility owners failed to prevent by protecting their facilities and pipelines, must not become a new tool and solution for natural resource governance, product security and pipeline protection in Nigeria,” he said.
Fyneface also alleged that YEAC-Nigeria volunteers and its leadership had received threats over the organisation’s reporting and advocacy on incidents in Okrika and other communities.
He specifically raised concerns over restrictions allegedly placed on the organisation’s activities around the Indorama facility, saying this could affect its ability to monitor environmental practices.
He said the organisation had previously advocated alternative approaches to tackling illegal resource exploitation, including the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI), the proposed Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI), and the development of modular refineries.
According to him, YEAC-Nigeria first proposed PACORDI in 2020 as a framework for integrating artisanal refiners into a regulated system while promoting environmental standards and alternative livelihoods.
Fyneface said the organisation subsequently presented the proposal to relevant government institutions, including the National Assembly, and at several public engagements.
He questioned why the government had not fully explored such initiatives to address the economic conditions that drive citizens into illegal mining, crude oil theft and artisanal refining.
“With these two initiatives for illegal miners and artisanal refiners in the North, West and South on the table, one wonders what the federal government is still waiting for to fully activate them and save the lives of citizens interested in the solid minerals, mining, oil and gas sectors,” he said.
The YEAC-Nigeria director also called for greater responsibility by oil companies and government agencies in protecting pipelines and other hazardous facilities.
He argued that operators should be held accountable where third-party interference occurs, particularly where foreseeable risks could have been prevented through effective facility protection and product stewardship.
Fyneface further referred to legal proceedings involving Shell in the United Kingdom, arguing that the cases demonstrated the need for oil companies to take greater responsibility for protecting their infrastructure.
He also raised concerns over the September 3, 2026 incident involving alleged misuse of Crack C5 around the Indorama facility in Okrika, Rivers State, and said the organisation had notified relevant stakeholders of its concerns.
The environmental advocate urged the Federal Government to prioritise economic inclusion, alternative livelihoods and regulated participation in the oil and gas and mining sectors.
He said government policies should seek to prevent citizens from resorting to illegal activities for survival rather than relying on deaths and enforcement actions after incidents occur.
“Government must be participatory, with listening ears and effective feedback mechanisms because its ownership is of the people, its process of attaining power and functioning is by the people, and the purpose of its existence is for the benefit and service to the people,” he said.
Fyneface called for renewed efforts to protect citizens, strengthen environmental governance and develop sustainable alternatives for people currently involved in illegal resource exploitation.
He said the lives of citizens should be treated as valuable regardless of their social or economic status.
“Government policy or policy failures must not graduate from citizens dying for oil to the state systematically killing citizens by looking away as part of ways of providing natural resource governance, product security and pipeline protection,” he said.
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