Etche, Shell In Face-Off Over Oil Spill

The Anglo-Dutch oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) is currently in a face-off with one of its host communities, Okpuala-Okoroagu 11, in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State over an oil spill incident at the company’s Nkali-well 11 facility located in the area.

The Tide gathered that following the dispute, a man identified as, Prince Chijoke Amadi, from the community was killed Wednesday while unconfirmed number of persons sustained various degrees of injuries.

A vehicle belonging to Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) as well as other equipment were also burnt down, last week.

The Community Trust Secretary, Okpuala Autonomous Community, Okoroagu Etche, Mr. Amadi Aurelio, who spoke to The Tide, traced the problem to the evening of Sunday, 10th May, 2015, when community people were jolted by a heavy explosion from the oil well.

“On getting to the area, we discovered massive spillage every where. We contacted SPDC same evening and a team from the company came and left the following day. Another team came and confirmed that the spillage was from the well head,” he narrated.

He said the spill was a surprise to the community because SPDC tagged the well a dried one since 2007, and removed all the facilities, including the flow line.

“The location has since 2007 been abandoned by SPDC without surveillance, security, no grass cutting, no routine engineering maintenance, as a result, the place has turned to a thick forest”, he said.

The Secretary said on 15th May, the company stopped the spillage while discussions the company had with a delegation of the community twice at Shell Industrial Area, Port Harcourt were stalled as they could not arrive at acceptable conclusion.

According to Aurelio, instead of accepting negligence on the part of Shell as the cause of the spillage, the company turned around, saying the spillage was caused by sabotage so as to deny the community compensation for the huge damages suffered by the people.

“On 16th May, 2015, SPDC carried out a (JIV), Joint Inspection of the spilled area, and thereafter, forged the report without consulting the community leaders and chiefs”, he stated in a statement.

The statement alleged that because the community refused to sign the purported (JIV) report in which the company claimed that the spill was caused by sabotage, SPDC has resorted to invading the community with armed security operatives, intimidating leaders and Chiefs to sign the report under duress.

“This barbaric attitude of SPDC and the armed security men yesterday (Wednesday) led to the killing of one of the youth, Mr. Chijioke Prince Amadi during sporadic shooting, and others sustained various degrees of injuries and are now lying in critical conditions in one of the hospitals, as they invaded the house of one of the community leaders, Mr. Amadi Aurelio, who is the CT Secretary intimidating him to sign the forged JIV report”, it alleged.

Similarly, a statement issued by the headquarters of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Port Harcourt confirmed the death of the youth on Wednesday, and the burning down of the Corps vehicle by irate community youth.

The statement, which was signed by the Public Relations Officer of NSCDC, Mr. Oguntuase Michael, alleged that youth of the Community attacked men of the command while giving protection to some Shell staff and contractors who were there to fix vandalized oil well-heads and pipelines.

A Patrol vehicle of the Command was burnt down by the armed youth, leaving our Personnel to escape on foot. Information is also reaching the Command that one casualty was recorded in the unfortunate incident,” it said, adding that the command had ordered full scale investigation into the circumstances leading to the development.

But in a response to questions related to the allegations raised, SPDC, said that the joint venture has over the years “implemented community development projects and programmes at Okoroagu central community and the entire Nkali clan as part of its overall social investment intervention in the Etche area.

In a statement, signed by its Spokesperson, Joseph Obari, the company said that “under the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) agreement signed in 2007, SPDC JV has provided funding for electricity, water, town hall and other infrastructure in Okoroagu community.

“Also, more than 350 youth in the Nkali oil field area have benefited from the SPDC JV scholarship scheme and other human development programmes. SPDC JV will continue to contribute to the development of the area, although as is well-known, the development of a community is the collective responsibility of the government, the private sector and the people themselves.”

On the allegation that recent spill is as a result of a fault in its wellhead in Nkali, SPDC said that the claim was “not true”, explaining that “a leak was reported May 12 from Nkali gas Well-11 following the theft of the wellhead (Christmas Tree) by unknown persons. The well was not producing at the time of the incident.

“The wellhead serves as a seal and control system for a producing or non-producing well. Its removal at Nkali caused a leak of predominantly gas accompanied with some liquid which we stopped on May 15. Further repair work continued at the well location until June 1, 2015. It was clear from the joint investigation visit comprising representatives of regulatory agencies, the community and SPDC that the wellhead was stolen, although some community representatives refused to sign the report,” it stressed.

On concerns that SPDC has refused to address the impact of spill on farmlands, the statement said that “SPDC endeavours to clean up spills as quickly as possible, even the ones caused by oil theft or sabotage. At all times, we respond to spill incidents and work to clean up the spilled oil and remediate the environment as quickly as possible. However, sometimes access to the spill point and insecurity can delay our response.”

The SPDC also denied that it masterminded the killing of a community youth in cause of a peaceful agitation following the spill, noting that “Our staff have been engaging members of the community in order to assist with the demobilsation of a contractor who had completed securing the well from which the wellhead was stolen.

“After completing the work on June 1, 2015, the contractor was preparing to demobilise and vacate the worksite when some youth stopped him, demanding payment of compensation and other monies. On June 3rd, the situation escalated as our staff endeavoured to persuade the youths to allow the contractor to vacate the worksite.

“The community supported the well securing exercise, granted access to the contractor, and also supplied labour for the work. Nigerian regulations forbid the payment of compensation for sabotage spills. To set the records straight, SPDC did not deploy any security personnel to the community,” the statement emphasised.