Niger Delta

Bonga Oil Spill Compensation: Conmen Dupe Bayelsa Communities

Published

11 years ago

March 4, 2015

As the news of the payment
of compensation to communities affected by the Bonga Oil Spillage in Bayelsa State filtered out, conmen have cashed in, distributing compensations forms and collected as much as 1,500 from residents of the communities.
Unsuspecting members of the communities have been scrambling to purchase the forms for the December 2011 Bonga oil spill incident.
It would be recalled that some 40,000 barrels of crude oil was discharged into the Atlantic Ocean during an operational mishap by the oil field operated by Shell Nigeria Production and Exploration Company (SNEPC).
The House of Representatives and National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) had in December 2014, recommended a compensation of $3.96 billion for victims of the incident.
Recently, Shell Nigeria Production and Exploration Company (SNEPCO), operators of the oil filed, signified readiness to start payment, a situation that has attracted conmen to the area, and thousands of fake forms are now in circulation.
A Youth Leader at Koluama 2 community in Bayelsa, Mr. Ebrasin Leghemo said that the Koluama communities were approached by a firm of valuers, Dutch Nigeria Ltd, which allocated 10,000 forms for the community.
“There are three groups that are involved, and we negotiated with them to give us 10,000 slots at the rate of N1,000 for indigenes and N2,000 for non-indigenes, and we were made to understand that each claimant will get N400,000.
“We heard that the House of Representatives has mandated Shell to pay N3.98 billion to the affected communities and we have secured the 10,000 slots for our community for impacted people amongst us,” Leghemo said.
Meanwhile, agents of the firm of valuers involved in the scheme were making inroads into most communities, where the leaders were purchasing the forms in bulk.
Some of the people who had purchased the forms said that the forms were sold at between N1,000 and N1,500 each in coastal communities in Bayelsa and the state capital.
James Wilson said that he had filled and returned the form he bought for N1,000 and filed his claims for both Bonga oil spill incident of December 2011 and Chevron’s rig explosion of January 2012.
Wilson said that he had filed individual claims for N350,000 for damages from the two incidents.
Sokespersons for Shell and Chevron, the oil firms on whose oil fields the damages are claimed declined comments on the development when contacted.
However, an Environmental and Human Rights activist, Mr. Alagoa Morris has raised alarm over the circulation of oil spill compensation forms by syndicates in oil communities in Bayelsa.
Morris noted that the activities of the ‘faceless syndicates’ were suspicious.
He urged the state government to investigate the firms behind the scheme to save unsuspecting members of the public from falling prey to the conmen.

Niger Delta

Navy Pledges Improved Patrols, Welfare Boost For Personnel

Published

10 hours ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has pledged to ensure improved welfare for personnel and more patrols on the maritime corridors of the nation.

He disclosed this during an on the spot assessment of things at the Eastern Naval Command (ENC), Calabar, on Wednesday.

According to him, there is the need for officers to always be ready, by improving on their welfare, in a bid to keep the country secured.

“I am here for an on the spot assessment of our operations and like you have seen, I have also gone round to check the ongoing buildings.

”These are welfare issues and for us to be able to have our men ready and keep us secured, their welfare needs to be catered for.

“So, we are here to kill two birds with one stone, which are basically operations and welfare issues.

”I am happy with what the command is doing; it is doing well in terms of keeping the maritime environment safe.

“We will continue doing what we are doing and improve on that, which is patrol of the waters and increase in the area of surveillance”, he stated.

As part of his visit, Abbas commissioned the 12×1 Junior Rates Accommodation Block A and B, at the Navy Barracks at Atimbo in Calabar.

The naval chief also inspected other ongoing projects in the Akim Barracks, 1006 flats and the Navy hotel, all within Calabar.

Niger Delta

Delta Begins Uromi Junction Flyover Construction

Published

13 hours ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

The Delta State Government says it has began construction work on the long-awaited Uromi Junction Flyover Bridge in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of the state.

Director-General (DG) of the Delta State Bureau for Orientation and Communications, Dr. Fred Oghenesivbe, confirmed the development to newsme in Asaba.

According to him, heavy-duty construction equipment have arrived the site, a project which is being handled by Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, one of the country’s leading construction firms.

Oghenesivbe, described the flyover as a massive infrastructure project with far-reaching socio-economic benefits for the area.

He said the project would significantly transform the Agbor metropolis by easing traffic congestion, improving the city’s aesthetics, and boosting commercial activities within the local government area.

He described the State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, as a promise-keeper and pragmatic leader whose administration remains committed to infrastructure development and economic growth across the state.

The DG expressed confidence in Julius Berger’s capacity to deliver the project within record time and according to the highest construction standards.

“The Uromi Junction serves as a major link between different parts of the country but has recently been plagued by severe traffic congestion, making vehicular movement increasingly difficult”, he noted.

He urged residents to cooperate with the contractor and safeguard construction materials and equipment to ensure the timely completion of the project.

Niger Delta

A’Ibom Rejects Ekid Ownership Claim Of Stubbs Creek

Published

13 hours ago

January 9, 2026

The Tide

The Akwa Ibom State Government has rejected claims by the Ekid People’s Union that it owns land within the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, describing such assertions as “false, misleading and a distortion of the judicial record.”

In a recent statement, signed by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, the state government said it was compelled to respond in the “overriding public interest,” despite a pending court case instituted by the same group.

The government stated that contrary to claims circulating in the media, the historic case of Ntiaro and Ikpak vs. Ibok Etok Akpan and Edoho Ekid, decided by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 1918, did not vest ownership of Stubbs Creek land in any ethnic group or community.

“The final judgement merely dismissed the claims before the court and granted title to no party whatsoever”, the government stated, adding that “any assertion to the contrary is false, misleading and a distortion of the judicial record.”

According to the statement, the land was lawfully reserved by the colonial government under Forest Reserve Order No. 45 of 1930, later amended in 1941, 1955 and 1962, with “the principal rights of the land forfeited to the Government upon the change of status.”

It said the area has since been administered under applicable laws by the Akwa Ibom State Government, which “has at all times acted within its lawful authority in the management and allocation of land in the area for legitimate public and economic purposes.”

Citing the 1999 Constitution and the Land Use Act, the government stated that all land in the state is vested in the governor to be held in trust for the common benefit of Nigerians, noting that claims of absolute ancestral ownership are subject to existing laws.

The government “categorically denies allegations of fraud or misrepresentation” regarding Stubbs Creek or investments there and warned it would take “appropriate legal steps” against any individual or group publishing false or defamatory material capable of undermining public confidence or discouraging investment

The statement also assured the federal government of “full access and Right of Way” for the proposed Coastal Highway through any part of the state.

The government statement followed an earlier report in which the Ekid People’s Union accused Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State of making comments that allegedly linked the community to terrorism, while he was defending the Coastal Highway project passing through the Stubbs Creek.

Ekid People’s Union maintained that the people of Ekid are the original owners of the land known as Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, arguing that their ancestral ownership predates colonial rule.

The group cited historical occupation, customary ownership and a 1918 Privy Council case, which it claimed affirmed Ekid rights over the territory.

The union also accused the Akwa Ibom State Government of misrepresenting history to justify taking over the land for commercial interests and the proposed Coastal Highway, an allegation the state government has denied.

The group rejected any suggestion linking the Ekid people to criminality or terrorism, insisting they were peaceful citizens defending their ancestral land through lawful and civic means.