Port Harcourt — Communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom have accused the Nigerian Pipelines Storage Company Limited, NPSCL, and NNPC Limited of failing to report a spill in the area and frustrating investigations into the spill.
The communities, in a petition to the Director General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, Engr. Emeka Woke, also accused the NPSCL and NNPC of mishandling the oil spill and using unapproved dispersants to cover up the spill in violations of the NOSDRA Act.
In a determined effort to ensure accountability, the communities called on NOSDRA to sanction the two companies over their handling of the spill.
Specifically, according to the communities, the spill occurred on the Escravos-to-Warri trunkline operated by NPSC/NNPC on August 10, 2024, devastating the local ecosystem and significantly disrupted the livelihoods of the affected communities, particularly those reliant on fishing.
SweetcrudeReports, in August, reported that the spill had contaminated the communities’ water sources, leading to health concerns and economic hardship. NPSC is the subsidiary of NNPC Limited responsible for crude oil deliveries to the refineries.
Gbaramatu communities affected by the oil spills are Oporoza, Okpele-Ama/Tebujor, Ikpokpo, Opuedebubo, Opuede, Atanba, Ogbotu, Okerenkokogbene, Gan-Ama Zion, Kala-Ikpokpo, and Maike-Ama, all in Warri Southwest Local Government Area of Delta State.
Attorney to the affected communities, Eric K. Omare, who expressed grave concern about the ongoing situation, in the petition, explained that under the NOSDRA Act, oil spills must be reported within 24 hours, a requirement that the petition claims was ignored by NPSC/NNPCL.
According to Omare, instead of conducting a proper Joint Investigation Visit, JIV, to assess the spill, NPSC/NNPCL surreptitiously undertook repairs at the site, raising further concerns about transparency and environmental integrity.
He said: “Sequel to their public protest, officials of your agency led by the Warri Zonal Head, Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company Limited, and communities representatives, visited the site on the 2nd day of September 2024 but we were surprised that on getting to the site of the spillage, it was discovered that NPSCL through its pipeline maintenance contractor, Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, had repaired the spill point without a JIV and buried it.
“Miffed by NPSCL’s repair and burying of the spill point, without conducting a JIV, which the communities protested about, the JIV team, led by NOSDRA’s Warri Zonal Head, decided that the spill point should be excavated to determine the actual situation within a week.”