25 July 2014, Lagos – The Department of Petroleum Resources and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency on Thursday blamed the Nigerian AGIP Oil Company for the 469 tonnes of toxic wastes dumped in communities in Delta State.
The the deadly substances were said to have been dumped in Ndokwa-East Local Government Area of Delta State on June 10, 2013.
A waste management agency, Allman Global Services, which works for NAOC, reportedly dumped the wastes.
The two agencies made their submissions to the House of Representatives Committee on Environment in Abuja.
The committee, which is chaired by Mrs. Uche Ekwunife, is investigating the dumping of the wastes.
A Deputy Director with the DPR, Mr. A.A. Balogun, who represented the agency, told the committee that NAOC should clean up the communities right away and “remediate the impacted sites accordingly.”
It also asked NAOC to produce the details of the contracted firm for further sanctions, including filing charges against the company before appropriate law courts.
Part of the DPR’s submission read, “There were conspicuous signs of indiscriminate dumping of materials suspected to be drilling wastes in various locations in Obikwele, Umueleke- Ossissa, Ola- Ossissa, Isheagu and Oloh- Ogwashi in Delta State.
“The DPR views the above pieces of circumstantial evidence as strong enough to make NAOC and Allman Global Services liable for the dumped wastes.
“NAOC and Allman Global Services have violated regulations of the DPR as highlighted above.
“Consequently, the DPR is currently considering appropriate sanctions to impose on NAOC and Allman Global Services Limited in line with the provisions of the Petroleum ( Drilling & Production) Regulations 1969 and its amendments.”
– The Punch