Fresh Oil Spill Hits Rivers State as Crude Pours Into Ikata Community Farmlands
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Fresh Oil Spill Hits Rivers State as Crude Pours Into Ikata Community Farmlands
Another environmental crisis has rocked Rivers State as a fresh oil spill occurred on Monday morning at an oil facility operated by Renaissance Africa Energy Company Ltd (RAEC) in Ikata Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area.
The incident reportedly happened along a 14-inch pipeline right of way and marks the latest in a series of oil spills linked to assets formerly owned by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). RAEC, which now owns the facility following a \$2.4 billion acquisition deal, is jointly owned by foreign and indigenous investors.
This recent spill is at least the fifth recorded in recent times on facilities previously managed by Shell, including repeated incidents on the disputed Oil Mining Lease (OML)-11 in Ogoni land.
The latest occurrence was brought to public attention by the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), whose One Million Youth Volunteers Network and Crude Oil Spill Alert System (COSAS) monitor and report oil spills across Niger Delta communities.
In a statement issued in Port Harcourt, YEAC-Nigeria’s Executive Director, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, blamed the spill on suspected human interference and called for urgent investigation.
“The spill point is suspected to be tortious (third-party) interference.
“A visit by our volunteers in the area to the spill site this morning showed that the vandals excavated the ground and vandalised the 14-inch pipe along the Okordia-Rumuekpe pipeline right of way and crude oil is seriously spelling into the environment.
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“The youths’ claims were substantiated in short videos and photographs shared with Advocacy Centre, which we have equally made available to newsmen.”
Dr. Fyneface urged the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to immediately conduct a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to determine the cause and hold those responsible accountable under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) of 2021.
The environmental watchdog reaffirmed its commitment to environmental justice and a cleaner Niger Delta amid growing concerns over the impact of oil activities on local ecosystems and livelihoods.
