Oil Spill Devastate Bayelsa Communities

Leaking pipe belonging to Shell Petroleum Development Company ( SPDC) within the Kolo creek oil field in Bayelsa State is currently discharging large volume of crude oil thereby devastating the environment.
The leakage, which started a week ago, according to a resident, Mr Anthony Okpu from Imiringi community told journalists that crude oil is fast spreading to neighboring communities within the area.
According to him, the oil leak from a crude trunk line connecting the Kolo creek fields to SPDC’s pipeline network had flown into the communities and devastated farmlands and vegetation in the area.
“We do not know exactly when the oil leak started but this morning (Wednesday) we saw crude leaking from the pipeline into the road, and when we got there, soldiers had already cordoned off the whole area.
“They did not allow us to get near to find out the possible cause of the leak on the pipeline, we woke up this early morning to see this in our community.
“ I believe that the soldiers must have reported the incident so that they can shut down the pipeline to forestall further damage to the environment, but oil is still gushing out of the line, “ Okpu said.
But SPDC, in its reaction, said the spillage was just discovered today (April 15) and that its management team has visited the affected areas, saying that the spillage has been stopped.
A statement signed by the spokesman of SPDC, Mr Joseph Obari, said a response team has been despatched to the area to determine the cause of the spillage.
When contacted, Media Coordinator of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, Lt.-Col Ado Isa, said that he was yet to get the reports.
Isa, however, pledged to verify the reports before comments.

L-R: Country Representative, Action 2015 One Campaign Nigeria Save the Children International, Mr Edwin Daniel, Lead Consultant, Ojugo Onyelukachukwu, Creative Manager, Nde Ndifonka and Executive Director, Africa, Dr Sipho Moyo, at the Media Capacity Building and Policy Forum on the Empowerment of Women in Abuja, yesterday