Nembe communities in Bayelsa State have protested the short notice given by the operator of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29 for a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) following a fresh oil spill around the Santa Barbara River.
The spill reportedly occurred on October 1 at the Tora area of Nembe from an 8-inch crude delivery pipeline belonging to Nembe Exploration and Production Company Limited, formerly Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company Limited.
The incident discharged an unconfirmed volume of crude into the Santa Barbara River and its adjoining areas.
In a letter addressed to the operator by the legal counsel to the Opu Nembe Kingdom, Mr Iniruo Wills, Managing Partner of Ntephe, Smith and Wills, the community expressed dissatisfaction over the company’s proposed JIV date of October 6, opting instead for October 9.
The letter, which was in response to the company’s correspondence dated October 5 (Ref: NEPCo/HSE-JIV/2025/04), stressed that the communities deserved “decent notice” to assemble a competent team, some of whom would be travelling from Lagos, Port Harcourt and Yenagoa.
“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 stated.
The communities also demanded a thorough investigation into the cause and volume of the spill, as well as prompt post-spill assessment and remediation to mitigate the impact on residents who depend on the Santa Barbara River for their livelihoods.
“Beyond this spill, for the records, we demand on behalf of our clients again for a top-level engagement (Company, Community Technical Team, and Regulators) for a lasting overall framework to put a stop to this unbearable and continual burden,” the counsel added.
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The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the spill has affected several Nembe settlements, heightening environmental and economic concerns.
Bayelsa has recorded several similar incidents in recent years. Communities such as Obololi and Ogboinbiri have suffered recurring oil leaks that contaminated farmlands and fish ponds, resulting in loss of livelihoods, water scarcity, and health risks.
Many of these spills, attributed to equipment failure on pipelines owned by companies like Oando and Shell, have drawn criticism over inadequate cleanup and compensation efforts.
