09 April 2015, Abuja – The 2011 Bonga oil spill incident from an offshore field operated by Shell Nigeria Production and Exploration Company affected at least 168,000 victims in 350 communities in Delta and Bayelsa States.
Howells Levi, Paramount Ruler of Olobia Community at Koluama in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa, stated this in an interview on Monday in Yenagoa.
He noted that the oil spill victims were fishermen ordered by oil industry regulators to withdraw from fishing activities to avoid netting contaminated fish.
Mr. Levi said the fishermen were deprived of their income whilst the oil spill response and cleanup activities lasted and deserved to be compensated for the loss of income.
Operational error at SNEPCO in 2011 led to the discharge of 40,000 barrels of oil into the Atlantic Ocean.
The House of Representatives and National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency had in December 2014 recommended a compensation of $3.96 billion for victims of the incident.
Mr. Levi said the just concluded verification of claims of impacted people revealed that six LGAs along the Atlantic coastline in Delta and Bayelsa were negatively affected by the oil spill incident.
– Premium Times