Over 50 civil society and environmental organisations have called on the Federal Government to place an immediate moratorium on any planned resumption of oil production in Ogoniland, insisting that polluted sites must be cleaned up and ageing oil wells decommissioned before fresh extraction is considered.

The 51 organisations made the demand in a joint statement issued in Port Harcourt amid reports that Dutchford Exploration and Production Company Limited had emerged as the successful bidder for the Yorla South oil field in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The coalition urged the government to prioritise environmental restoration over renewed oil exploration, arguing that Ogoniland is yet to recover from decades of pollution despite the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for comprehensive remediation.

“We are unequivocal: do not reopen the wells. Decommission them. Clean them up. Restore the land. Protect the people. Ogoniland has suffered enough,” the organisations stated.

The groups also pointed to the unresolved oil spill in Kpean community, which hosts 14 oil wells within the Yorla field, alleging that crude leaked from a dormant wellhead in August 2025, contaminating farmlands, streams and drinking water sources, with another spill occurring months later.

According to the coalition, no fresh licence should take effect until the Kpean spill has been fully investigated and remediated, affected residents compensated and provided healthcare support, and the environmental condition of the field independently assessed.

The organisations further demanded public disclosure of the Yorla South licence, ownership structure and development plans, comprehensive environmental and social impact assessments, meaningful consultation with affected Ogoni communities, independent integrity checks on existing oil infrastructure and abandoned wells, transparent environmental monitoring, and a legally enforceable framework assigning responsibility for both current and legacy environmental liabilities.

The coalition warned that resuming production without addressing existing environmental damage could expose communities to further oil spills, pollution and public health risks.

It also aligned its position with the global “Ogonize and Yasunize” campaign, which advocates keeping fossil fuel reserves in ecologically sensitive territories in the ground while investing in environmental restoration.

The statement was endorsed by 51 organisations, including Oilwatch International, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), Policy Alert, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Oilwatch Nigeria, Amazon Watch and several other environmental and climate justice organisations.