Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Chief Stephen Koko, the Paramount Ruler of Teera-Ue community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, has raised a distress alarm that the ongoing well blowout and crude oil spill from Well 14, in Yorla oilfield, OML11, has now overflowed into his community’s river and shorelines.
SweetCrude Reports had recently reported a massive oil spill in Kpean community of Ogoniland, following a violent well blowout within Yorla oilfield, one of the six oilfields in Ogoniland, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Chief Koko warned that the situation was worsening and requires immediate government and operator intervention.
“Crude has already entered our river and is now washing up on our shores,” he said. “We can no longer pretend this is a Kpean issue. It is now a Teera-Ue disaster.”
He appealed to YEAC-Nigeria for support in amplifying the alert so relevant authorities can respond urgently.
“Tell the world what is happening here,” the paramount ruler said. “I am ready to take journalists, your team, and any concerned citizen to come and see the pollution with their own eyes.”
The spill first reported last Wednesday has been spewing from Wellhead 14 in the Yorla Oil Field under OML 11. Residents say the flow has continued for days, contaminating water bodies and destroying the local ecosystem. The same well cluster witnessed a major spill in August 2025.
The Yorla oil field, containing 16 wells, was operated by Shell until 1993 when the company exited Ogoniland following sustained resistance by the Ogoni people under the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP. The conflict escalated into the crisis that culminated in the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others in 1995.
With the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, now the operator, community groups insist that the firm must take immediate remedial action.
Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, Executive Director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, YEAC-Nigeria, stressed that the law is clear.
“Under the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, the operator and NOSDRA must urgently stop the spill, determine the cause, and address all impacts without delay,” he said.
YEAC-Nigeria called on NNPCL and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, to deploy technical teams to the affected locations, stop the ongoing leak, and begin damage assessment in line with statutory requirements.
“The spill is still active. The longer it flows, the greater the destruction,” Dr. Fyneface warned.
