– Triggers fears of explosion
– Renaissance, NOSDRA keep mum
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, RAEC, and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, have remained silent days after a major spill from the Trans Niger Pipeline submerged parts of B-Dere community in Gokana Local Government Area, Rivers State.
The incident, which occurred since last week, is said to have resulted from equipment failure and has left residents displaced, properties contaminated, and fears of explosion mounting.
Despite growing calls for intervention, neither Renaissance, the new operator of the pipeline, nor NOSDRA has issued a statement or deployed visible response teams to the area.
The incident, just weeks after a similar explosion in nearby Bodo on March 17, 2025 has intensified concerns over the federal government’s plan to resume oil extraction in Ogoniland, with environmentalists and locals warning of dire consequences.
Distressed residents described scenes of chaos, displacement, and growing health risks following the spill, which continued to flow through the community days after it started.
“The spill brought crude oil into houses of many of our people. The thick smell of crude oil has affected our health. Breathing has become a problem, and it has become difficult to even feed because some of us cannot light fires in our kitchens,” said Chief Mrs. Augustina Biebie, the woman leader of B-Dere community.
A visit to the spill site by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF, and other civil society organizations, CSOs, revealed the scale of the damage and the growing frustration among residents.
“Since this incident started, I have not been able to cook for fear of explosion. My mother has been displaced and has moved to a neighbour’s house for fear of the explosion. Shell said it has sold to Renaissance Oil, who now owns the pipeline. So, we call on them to come and stop the spill,” said Pastor Kpobari Bani, a resident whose house was directly affected.
Environmental groups say the government and oil companies have responded too slowly, allowing the situation to deteriorate.
Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, condemned what he called gross negligence and disregard for human life.
“We are in a disaster zone and further disasters can erupt from even an accidental spark of fire. The slow response of government and oil companies underscores the lack of care for the people and the environment. This level of laxity is unconscionable,” Bassey said.
HOMEF urged government agencies, including NOSDRA, NESREA, the Ministry of Environment, and HYPREP, to immediately intervene.
“The government cannot be silent at a time as this. This is a time when all agencies should be here to carry out urgent cleanup and remediation,” he added.
HOMEF called for immediate action to plug the leakage, remediate the land, and conduct health audits for the affected residents.
The group also urged the government to decommission aging oil facilities and cancel any oil asset divestments that shield operators from accountability.
Activist Celestine Akpobari warned that the recurring spills are strong evidence against restarting oil exploitation in Ogoni.
“This is supposed to be a remediation site, but as you can see, it is an ecological crime scene. We are afraid that if this is not properly contained, the damage will be far worse than what we see,” Akpobari said.
Meanwhile, all efforts to get a response from the management of the oil operator, RAEC, have proved abortive as an email sent to the company’s Spokesperson, Mr Michael Adande, has not been replied to more than four days after.
