“The incident occurred at about 1:30 am. Those burnt are more than 30 with many others sustaining injuries,” said Nnamdi Tochukwu, a survivor on his hospital bed in nearby Asaba.
A security officer, who did not want to be identified, confirmed the death toll.
“Over 30 bodies were burnt at the scene before the arrival of security operatives while many others are currently receiving medical attention at various hospitals within and outside the town," the officer said.
The spokesman for Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said the victims were vandals attempting to scoop petrol from the pipeline.
Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer and exporter, runs a network of pipelines that transport crude and petrol across the vast nation.
Hundreds of lives have been lost in recent years due to oil vandals bursting pipelines to steal petrol, sometime resulting in explosions.