Residents of Egbemo-Angalabiri in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on Tuesday shut down operations at the speciality RIG 301 operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in protest against the functions of the international oil companies in the community.
According to reports, the residents, who carried various placards, protested the non-compliance of the oil companies with the agreement reached with the community.
In their demands, they asked the oil companies operating in their community to address them before the speciality RIG 301 would reopen.
Reacting to the situation, the state Governor, Douye Diri, said indigenes of host communities should be treated fairly while noting that “Oil should be a source of happiness, not a source of gloom or death as it now portends.”
Diri said the government would continue to prevail on the people to be law-abiding, even in the process of making their demands.
However, the indigenes maintained that operations at the rig would not resume until their demands were met.
