Oil spill in a community | File photo
A fresh oil spill has occurred on a pipeline operated by Nembe Exploration and Production Company Limited, formerly Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company Limited.
In a report on Thursday, NAN said the oil spill, which occurred on oil mining lease 29 (OML 29) on October 1, at the Tora area in Nembe, has polluted the Nembe communities around the Santa Barbara River in Bayelsa state.
According to a letter to the operator of OML 29 by the legal counsel to the Opu Nembe Kingdom, signed by Iniruo Wills, managing partner at Ntephe Smith and Wills, the spill has adversely impacted the people who depend on the Santa Barbara River.
The oil firm had confirmed the oil spill in a letter, with reference number NEPCo/HSE-JIV/2025/04, dated October 5, proposing a joint investigation visit (JIV) to ascertain the cause and volume of the spill on October 6.
Advertisement
The Nembe communities, in response to the letter, kicked against the October 6 date, opting for October 9.
“We remind you, as you are quite aware of already that the Community requires and deserves decent notice to assemble a competent JIV team, some of whom usually come from Lagos, Port Harcourt and/or Yenagoa, in order to ensure due diligence and avoid or countervail the perennial practice of manipulating the JIV process and suppressing critical information,” the letter reads.
“Please note that our clients demand a thorough and competent investigation of this spill, and adequate management (including swift post-spill assessment and remediation).”
Advertisement
Beyond addressing the spill, the community called for high-level engagement between the company, the community technical team, and regulators to establish a lasting framework that would end the ongoing and continual burden.
