Several riverine communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State, have lodged a formal complaint with the Director-General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA). The communities accuse the Nigerian Pipelines Storage Company Limited (NPSC) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) of neglecting their responsibility to clean up an oil spill that occurred in the area.
The communities are calling for immediate sanctions against both companies, demanding daily penalties for their failure to report the spill and clean up the affected areas, which have been polluted since August 10, 2024. They argue that these sanctions would deter other corporate violators in the oil and gas sector, as outlined by law.
The oil spill originated from the NPSC/NNPCL Escravos-Warri crude oil truckline at Atanba in Gbaramatu Kingdom, impacting multiple communities, including Oporoza, Okpele-Ama/Tebujor, Ikpokpo, Opuedebubo, Opuede, Atanba, Ogbotu, Okerenkokogbene, Gan-Ama Zion, Kala-Ikpokpo, and Maike-Ama, among others.
A petition signed by the communities’ legal representative, Eric Omare, on behalf of various community leaders, including Godwin Fibade and Lucky Bebenimibo, was sent to relevant authorities such as the NPSC’s Managing Director and NOSDRA’s Zonal Head in Warri. The petition alleges that NPSC and NNPC violated the law by failing to report the spill within the required 24-hour window and by repairing the spill site without conducting a joint investigation visit (JIV) or initiating cleanup efforts.
Furthermore, the communities claim that the NPSC/NNPCL used unapproved dispersants, worsening environmental damage and affecting local livelihoods, including fishing, farming, and access to clean water.
On September 2, 2024, representatives from NOSDRA, NPSC, and the affected communities visited the spill site. However, they were shocked to find that NPSC, through its contractor Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, had repaired the spill point without conducting the mandated JIV and had even buried the site. NOSDRA’s Warri Zonal Head insisted the spill point should be re-excavated to determine the true extent of the damage within a week. Unfortunately, the deadline passed on September 9, 2024, with no conclusion to the JIV, despite multiple attempts by the communities to contact NPSC officials.
The communities expressed frustration, accusing NPSC of hindering efforts to complete the investigation and refusing to work collaboratively with regulatory agencies to mitigate the spill’s effects and compensate those affected. According to them, the spill has led to gas suffocation, health hazards, and water contamination, making daily activities and earning a living through fishing impossible.
Citing violations of the NOSDRA Act, the petition highlighted that NPSC/NNPCL’s failure to report the spill and the use of unapproved dispersants breached sections 6(2) and 6(3) of the Act. The petitioners called for daily penalties of N500,000 and N1,000,000 to be imposed on the companies for failing to report and clean up the spill since August 10, 2024.
In conclusion, the communities are demanding that NNPCL/NPSC be compelled to clean up the affected areas and provide fair compensation to those impacted by the spill, in accordance with relevant laws.
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