Fresh oil spill occurs in Bodo community

Fresh crude oil spill has reportedly occurred in Bodo community in Gokana Council (Ogoniland) of Rivers State.

This followed earlier four oil spills from the Trans Niger Pipeline operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, which occurred between August 2 and September 12, 2022.

According to Youths in the area and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), the latest spill is suspected to have been caused by equipment failure.

A statement, yesterday, by the Executive Director of YEAC, Fyneface Dumnamene, said the spill was discovered on Sunday, October 16 about 10 a.m. around the Julius Berger construction site on Bodo-Bonny Road.

He decried the negative impacts of the spills on the environment, health and livelihood of the people, who are predominantly farmers and whose sources of livelihood have been destroyed by frequent oil spills.

Fynface said: “YEAC-Nigeria condemns the spill-rain as well as the latest oil spill in Bodo community, when issues associated with previous spills are yet to be addressed.

“We reiterate calls for Shell and its joint venture partners to replace obsolete Trans-Niger Delta pipeline in the Ogoni area, which are overage and now bursting and deflating like balloons and destroying the environment.”

Fyneface also called on National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to facilitate a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to the new spill site, determine the cause of the spill and ensure adequate compensation to the affected community.

“YEAC-Nigeria called on the Federal Government and the joint venture partners to launch an independent investigation into the incessant oil spills in the Bodo community and the report used to stop further spills to avoid the extermination of the people over continuous poisoning of their environment and ecosystem,” he added.

Meanwhile, Shell has insisted that the spills are caused by sabotage.