Oil leak from Agip’s pipeline pollutes community in Bayelsa State

According to a field report by the Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), oil leak from Tebidaba-Ogboinbiri crude line operated by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) has discharged massive volumes of crude into the surrounding environment.

New Telegraph newspaper states that according to the report, officials of NAOC had commenced recovery of the spilled crude from Ikienghenbiri community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area in Bayelsa State.

The report signed by the Head of Field Operations at ERA/FoEN, Mr. Alagoa Morris, said more than 30 plastic tanks of 2,000 litres of crude have already been recovered by NAOC officials. ERA/FoEN regretted that a Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) was yet to be conducted to ascertain the cause of the leak and urged the management of NAOC to urgently convene a JIV to the spill impacted site.

New Telegraph reports that community sources at Ikienghenbiri confirmed the spill incident on Monday, saying the development had crippled economic activities in the predominantly fishing and farming coastal settlement.

They said oil recovery was still ongoing at the spill site. A former Community Development Committee Chairman in Ikienghenbiri, Mr. Marshall Amabebe Josiah, said the community had reported the incident promptly, but that the oil firm delayed its response resulting in the massive leak.

“Due to the heavy volume of crude oil so spewed they have not been able to commence the process of clamping the ruptured point.

“They are looking for a way to evacuate the crude oil from the place to enable them access the oil bearing pipe and repair it. “That is what they are doing now; recovery of spilled crude oil.

No JIV has been done on this particular spill incident. “I saw several plastic tanks being used for the recovery exercise. From my observation it may take them up to two or three months to conclude that task. And much of the surrounding bush/ swamp have been completely polluted,” Marshal said.

Source: New Telegraph