Fresh Oil Spill Causes Panic in Rivers Community

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt 

Communities in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State have decried a fresh oil spill that occurred in the area, spreading over the shoreline.

 The spill, which occurred on December 13, 2024, community sources explained, is suspected to be from facility of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Bonny Island.

It was gathered that spill spread from the Bonny Island  to Oyorokoto/Agbama/Imo River and thereby impacting communities along the stretch of the river.

A  resident of the area suggested that the spill emanated from a pipeline rupture at a Shell loading terminal in Bonny.

THISDAY gathered earlier that the spill is huge as its impact is already felt meters away from the incident site, and there are indications that due to wave, the spill will spread to other communities along that coastline. 

A similar spill occurred in Shell’s Trans Niger Pipeline line III on May 11, 2024, in Asarama community, Andoni LGA, Rivers State polluting and contaminating the environment as well as  destroying their other means of livelihood. 

Concerned stakeholders who spoke with journalists on a visit to the affected areas along the Oyorokoto/Agbama/Imo River, Andoni, lamented their experience and sought  immediate restoration and cleanup of environment.

The stakeholders noted that the oil spill has damaged fishing nets, boats, and other equipment, rendering them unusable. 

They urged the alleged polluting company to quickly contain the spill to avoid further destruction and carry out cleanup and remediation as well as provide adequate compensation to the impacted community people.

Speaking on the incident, Executive  Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, said the frequent spills are the harsh realities of communitymfolks in the Niger Delta, noting that  in many cases, nothing is done as the communities are left to suffer.

He said: “Most of the pipelines that crisscross the Niger Delta are as old as when commercial export of crude oil started in Nigeria and a lot of these spills are coming from these old pipelines and in some other cases, equipment failure.”

 He, however, called on “all relevant agencies to beam their search light on these oil companies to ensure that justice is served.”