An Italian oil firm, Eni, has shut down its activities in the swampy oil fields located in Bayelsa State over theft.

The firm, in a statement  in Yenagoa, last Monday, attributed the frequent spills to oil theft by vandals and said that it had decided to shut down operations to prevent  further damages to the environment.

Eni, which operates in Nigeria as Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), said it authorised the suspension of operations on March 22 and subsequently declared ‘Force Majeure’ on its oil output from the facility on March 23.

“Eni confirms that during the  night between 21 and 22  March, the company has declared force majeure and ordered  the closure  of its onshore activities in the Swamp Area, located in Bayelsa State in Nigeria.

“The decision was made due to the intensified  bunkering , consisting in the sabotage of pipeline and the theft of crude oil, which has recently  reached unsustainable  levels regarding both personal safety and damage  to the environment. Sustainability is for Eni  a priority in Nigeria, as in all the countries in which it  operates, the statement said.

According to the statement, the firm produced about 40,000 barrels of crude oil equivalent daily from the shut facilities.

It expressed regret that about 7,000 barrels of its daily crude production was lost to oil thieves in Bayelsa, a development the firm described as unsustainable and compelled it to shut down.

Meanwhile, the boundary dispute between the Enugu-Otu Aguleri and their Ashonwo/Odeke neighbors in Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State has escalated as about seven persons are said to have been killed and over 52 houses burnt, yesterday.

Since the commissioning of the Orient Petroleum Resources facilities in Aguleri-Otu late last year by President Goodluck Jonathan for exploitation of the oil wells in that area, the Ibaji people have been laying claim that the area belongs to them.

However, when contacted over the latest attack, the image maker of the Anambra State Police Command, Emeka Chukwuemeka said though the command is aware of the dispute between the communities, he however, was not aware of any casualty.

But a community leader in Enugu-Otu Aguleri, who gave his name as Anekwe Arinze, said the people of Ashonwo/Odeke invaded their community at about 1:30am yesterday while they were asleep and started shooting sporadically in their area and set some of their houses ablaze.

He said, “We were sleeping suddenly we started hearing gunshot everywhere and when some of us came out to know what was happening we saw our houses in fire. Our children and women who tried to escape were shot and many were wounded.

“We heard them saying the land belong to us, you cannot take it. That was when we knew it was Kogi people. Some of our men who summoned the courage to pursue them away could not get them because when they noticed our prompt response they ran away. Already, we have counted seven corpses.

“They kidnapped three of our men. But we cannot fold our hands while they kill them. They must release them to us hale and hearty”, he maintained.

Similarly, Governor Wada Idris of Kogi State has expressed concern over deteriorating security situation in oil bearing communities in border areas between Kogi and Anambra states.

Wada expressed the view in Lokoja yesterday while reacting to the alleged killing of four people and abduction of two others in attacks on Odeke and Echeno communities in Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi by unidentified persons.

He said the situation in the border communities required urgent attention of the affected states and the Federal Government.

He said the situation must be brought under control immediately.

The two communities have been at loggerheads with communities in Anambra over the location of four oil wells now being refined by Orient Oil.

The governor appealed to leaders of the two communities who came to his office to protest the attacks to remain calm and promised to get in touch with his Anambra counterpart to find a lasting solution to the problem.

He also promised to ensure that the two men abducted by the attackers regained their freedom as soon as possible.

He directed the deputy governor to immediately take up the matter with the appropriate quarters.

Wada promised to ensure immediate supply of food, water and other basic items to the people displaced from their homes by the attackers.

He said all necessary support would be given to the police for the maintenance of law and order in the communities.

The Spokesman for the communities, Mr Daniel Omatola, told the governor that four of their people were killed in series of attacks recently launched by some persons suspected to be from Anambra.

He also said that two other persons from the communities were abducted by the attackers whom he said had also destroyed homes and farmlands, thereby displacing hundreds of people from their homes.

Omatola called for urgent intervention of the state government, saying that his people were finding it increasingly difficult to stand the unwarranted attacks and killings of their kinsmen.