Another oil spill from a facility belonging to Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, SPDC has hit Bodo community in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
This comes barely two months after the company recorded massive spills from its facilities in Okulu River, Eleme council, Ogoniland.
The spills we gathered was noticed by villagers last Friday, August 18, 2023, following oil leaks from the Trans Niger Pipeline in the community .
The cause of the leaks is yet unknown and the operators of the pipeline, Shell Nigeria, is yet to make any official statement on the spill.
Reacting on the fresh oil spills, factional lesader of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, Mr. Fegalo Nsuke who confirmed the incident, expressed worries over the frequency of oil spill occurrences in the Ogoni area.
Nsuke, who demanded for an unbiased investigation into the cause of the spill, said Shell swiftly contained the fresh leaks, immediately the incident was reported.
He said, “the frequency of oil spills in the Ogoni area raises questions about the integrity of oil assets in the entire Niger Delta region.
“We understand the spill has been contained and that the containment was prompt and averted serious pollution and the environmental problems that came with similar spills. That is commendable. However, we will expect a transparent and speedy investigation into the spill to enable a proper response that can avert similar cases in future”.
The Ogoni leader further called on the people of Bodo community to cooperate with repair works and remediation efforts if and when they are initiated.
“I will urge the people of Bodo community to cooperate with efforts to repair the pipeline as well as any remediation efforts if and when they are initiated. I will urge tolerance, as usual, to allow them to fix the pipelines for our collective safety.
“We do not think they (Shell) will do anything extraordinary which could jeopardize the safety of residents and we believe Shell’s presence in this instance will be to fix the faulty pipeline and that should be in our interest. I urge everyone to cooperate with that process and be very vigilant.
“Since August 2022 and today, over five oil spills have been recorded in Bodo community alone. This is the first that will be contained before any major damage is caused. The impact of this spill has been reported to be minimal and the community dwellers also acknowledge that it is the most contained amongst the recent spills in Bodo.”
