Leadnaija
A group of armed youths, allegedly led by Eleme Youth President, Mr. Walter Olaka, on Monday, invaded an oil spill site at Ogale in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The youths confiscated trucks used to evacuate spilt crude oil, beat up drivers, and injured several people, including Mr. Gift Gongogo Nene, who was reportedly stabbed on the head.
The massive crude oil spill occurred on Monday, 3rd February, 2025, at the Ogale Manifold, with the spill flowing freely into the pipeline right of way that separated Lot-1 of the Ogoni cleanup Project.
Although no oil company has claimed ownership of the facility, investigations showed that Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of Nigeria operates the manifold.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre’s (YEAC-Nigeria) in a press release signed by its executive director Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, reported that the spill was caused by equipment failure during maintenance work.Tap Here To Read Full Details
The organization condemned the violence and application of force by the Eleme Youth President and called for a police investigation to restore peace.
The Advocacy Centre also urged the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct a joint investigation visit and ensure containment, clean-up, and adequate compensation for those affected.
This incident comes on the heels of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of the Federal University of Environmental Technology, Ogoni, a move aimed at addressing environmental concerns in the region.
It said, “Members of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre’s (YEAC-Nigeria) “One Million Youth Volunteers Network of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters in the Niger Delta” in the area reported to the organisation that the oil spill allegedly occurred today [Monday, February 03, 2025] at the Ogale Manifold.
“The volunteers also reported to YEAC-Nigeria that the manifold spill, after it filled the underground pits, started flowing freely to the pipeline right of way that separated Lot-1 of the Ogoni cleanup Project of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) of the Federal Ministry of Environment in Ogale.
“The volunteers said they suspected that the spill at the manifold owned and operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) of Nigeria, a company that the community has been in a United Kingdom High Court with till date over previous oil spill is caused by equipment (valve) failure while contactors were carrying out maintenance work on the facility today.
“The volunteers reported and decried the associated violence and application of force by the Eleme Youth President, Mr. Walter Olaka during his by invading the spill site with alleged armed boys, confiscating trucks that were being used to evacuate the spilled crude oil, beating up some of the drivers whose trucks were already seized and parked at the Eleme Council Secretariat and injuring some persons in the process including Mr. Gift Gongogo Nene who was allegedly daggered on the head by some of the boys reported to have invaded the scene with dangerous small arms and light weapons including guns.
“While calling for Police investigation into the incidents with a view of restoring peace among the warring parties, the Advocacy Centre, through its Crude Oil Spill Alert System (COSAS), in a statement in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital signed by its Executive Director, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to carry out a joint investigation visit (JIV) on the spill site, invoke sections of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2021 and ensure that containment and clean-up are done with adequate compensation paid to those whose economic crops are impacted by the spill in the area”, the statement said.
