By Tina Amanda
In yet another environmental setback, a new oil spill has been reported in Bodo Community, located in Gokana Local Government Area (Ogoni) of Rivers State.
This incident comes months after multiple other crude oil spills have occurred along the pipeline at various locations, adding to a series of spills over the years.
An Environmental Advocacy Group, Eco Defence Alliance, has expressed serious concern over the repeated oil spills in the Bodo community. The organization criticized the authorities for their failure to implement permanent solutions to the ongoing menace of crude oil spills in the area.
In a press statement signed by the Organization Coordinator, Comrade Damian Gbogbara, shortly after a visit to the scene on Thursday, July 4, 2024, states that Bodo has the highest number of crude oil spills ever recorded in human history, a situation that continues to devastate the local environment and community.
Gbogbara highlighted that the latest spill which occurred on Thursday 4 July 2024, at about 12 45 am in the Sugi area of Bodo community not far from where multiple oil spills have occurred in recent times on the Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP) operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) Ltd.
According to a source Mrs Monica whose residential home is located very close to the spill site as well as that of last year’s, disclosed that a loud blast/sound was heard like that of last year’s, at about 12:45 am.
The Community Based Environmental Advocacy Group said it has lost count of oil spill incense in Bodo due to incessant occurrences, and warned that caution should be exercised by relevant authorities in the quest to find out the cause of the spill and subsequent closure of the leaked pipes to avoid any crisis in the community.
“Again, there is the need for transparency in the whole process, from constituting the JIV team to it implementation and its final result to avoid any form of crisis as witnessed the other time.
“The JIV report will help to hold the companies to account and also serve as evidence-based documents for possible litigation on the ecosystem destruction, and safe the fragile Bodo, Ogoni, and Niger Delta Environment, especially with the ongoing Clean Up exercise by the Bodo Mediation Initiative (BMI), beside the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) coordinated Clean Up gearing up to start in the area”.
The group called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to immediately embark on a joint investigation visit (JIV) with Shell and other relevant stakeholders to the spill site in Sugi Area of Bodo City and not to delay as it has always been doing and thereby refused to carry out JIV on the February 18th, 2019, Oil Spill till date.
Gbogbara said the JIV report is very important as it would help to determine the cause of the spill, the volume of the spill, and the extent of damage to the Environment and the ecosystem. He warned against any attempt to manipulate the JIV process and its outcome.
However, reports from ECO DEFENCE ALLIANCE and community folks show that the latest spill was allegedly caused by equipment failure.
