Crude oil tapping point on Trans Niger Delta Pipeline (TNP) operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited has been discovered in Nonwa, Uedume community in Tai Council of Rivers State.
This was confirmed by the Executive Director of Youth and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), Fyneface Dumnamene, who was at the site for observation with other stakeholders.
The team was led by the Chairman of Tai Council, Mbakpone Okpe, with men of the Nigerian Army, DSS, and Tai local security task force.
Also present were combined pipeline surveillance contractors of the Tantita SSL and Shell staff, who were on the TNP doing routine maintenance job.
According to Dumnamene, an environmental rights activist, a tapping point was discovered by youths working as pipeline surveillance contractors in the area.
He said the point where the criminals were tapping crude oil from is capable of loading two tankers of 33,000 litres.
He noted that Shell staff were surprised that a tapping point was on their pipeline and was close to them but they didn’t know.
He said: “Sometime last week, I was invited as an environmentalist to observe what was discovered. In fact, the people that discovered this point are youths working as pipeline surveillance contractors in the area.
“They had to involve local government chairman, who led the team to the Trans-Niger Delta pipeline in Nonwa Uedume in Tai LGA and on getting there, we saw that criminals actually connected the pipe that is about 1.5 millimetres to the main pipeline (Trans Niger-Delta pipeline) and the pipe was laid out to about some kilometres away from the point, where it helps them to load, at least, two of 33 000 litres of tanker every night. And the pipe is said to have been there for over seven years.”
He also disclosed that Shell was at the site for observation and is taking steps to remove the tapping on the pipe to forestall further damage.
