News
SPDC Denies Oil Production In Ogoni
The leading oil and gas company in Nigeria, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) has dismissed claims by some groups in Ogoni that it has begun concerted efforts to resume oil production, more than 24 years after it stopped crude oil production activities in Ogoniland.
The multinational oil and gas company also said it was not aware of any shooting incident involving government security personnel attached to the pipeline repair team in the area, and was not in a position to speak for the Nigerian military.
Reacting to a statement credited to Ogoni Youth Forum, claiming that soldiers attached to SPDC personnel, allegedly opened fire on some youth who were on a peaceful protest, at Nonwa, Tai, against the alleged forceful commencement of laying of pipelines in Ogoniland without the consent of the people or the conduct of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the company’s spokesman, Joseph Obari said: “The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) is carrying out repair work on the 24” Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) which passes through parts of Ogoni land and beyond.
“The scope of work involves replacement of sections of the existing pipeline. No new pipelines are being laid”.
Obari confirmed that “The 24” TNP has been shut in since 2013 awaiting this maintenance. SPDC has no plans to resume oil production in Ogoni land which was stopped in 1993.”
He explained that “The maintenance work involves repairs on the 24” TNP both in the Ogoni axis and beyond.”
The Shell spokesman also emphasised that “The affected communities have been adequately engaged and their support secured prior to mobilisation of the repair crew,” stressing that, “The repair work is providing employment and other benefits for the host communities.
“The works are restricted and contained within SPDC’s right of way, and so far, no third party land has been impacted”, Obari added.
It would be recalled that the Ogoni Youth Forum (OYF) had, last Friday, condemned the careless shooting of Ogoni youth by a detachment of men of the Nigerian Army.
The OYF had alleged that the Army personnel, attached to officials of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), last Thursday opened fire on some youth from Ogoni and injured many.
A statement by the National Coordinator of OYF, Yamaabana Legborsi in Port Harcourt, had regretted that in spite of years of agitations against environmental degradation and abuse, Ogoni communities were still battling with the hazards and past ill-activities of SPDC.
They alleged that the inability of the Federal Government to remediate the already over-polluted Ogoni environment without any severe sanctions had emboldened Shell to increase its unmitigated actions against the precious Ogoni environment.
When contacted on phone for comments, a spokesperson for the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Captain Eligible Lazarus could not be reached, as his mobile line was switched off.
In an interview with newsmen, the Chairman of Ogoni Council of Traditional Rulers, Mene Suanu Baridam, confirmed that some Ogoni youth actually protested against the ongoing laying of pipes in Ogoni by Shell, describing the action as provocative.
The traditional ruler described the traditional tendency of Shell to sow seeds of discord in Ogoni as a threat to the peace in the area, insisting that Shell was putting the cart before the horse.
Baridam, therefore, pleaded with the Federal Government to call Shell to order in order not to instigate another round of crisis in Ogoniland.
MOSOP, in a statement, yesterday, confirmed that the youth carried out a peaceful demonstration on October 26, 2017 against Shell over her resumed laying of pipelines in Ogoni suspended in August this year following protests led by MOSOP.
Signed by the Media and Public Affairs Advisor, Bari-ara Kpalap, MOSOP said, “The demonstration was necessitated by the reason that rather than respond to the demands of the people, Shell under the shield of sophisticatedly armed military and para-military operatives resumed the vexacious laying of oil pipelines in the region without carrying out Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as provided by law, to enable the people know the implications of the project.
“They also violated the right of the people to free, prior and informed consent protected under international law through refusal to hold broad-based discussion and obtain the agreement of the people.
“As early as 7am, the demonstrators had gathered at the popular Nonwa junction on the East-West Road running through the area, singing and dancing. Suddenly, heavily armed soldiers and police officers of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) led by the JTF commander in the area arrived in many military trucks and unleashed mayhem on the unarmed Ogoni demonstrators in an attempt to frustrate the protest.
“They shot sporadically and many of the demonstrators who were unlucky were savagely brutalised and inflicted with varying degrees of injuries.
“Those injured and are hospitalised include Messrs Lenaata Biraalo, Dumka Kpee Paago, Paul Barivule, Eedee Bedi, Keanyie Barikuula, Lekpea Barialo, Sunday Lekie. John Dumadi, Saturday Lodee, Popnwin Dibia and Barididum Kpoobe.
“The others Mrs. Basile Baridon, Nwinee Akoba, Biale Peter, Mary Nwidum, Lesira Paul and Justina Bekee. In fact, Samson Akpotor was so lucky as life bullets missed his head narrowly and shattered the window of a nearby building.”
However, the protesters regrouped, defied the violent security approach and carried on. Addressing the crowd, Bari-ara Kpalap warned that brutality was not going to sway the resolve of the people, emphasising that those that refuse peaceful advocacy to succeed certainly call for violent response but Ogoni won’t be swayed from its avowed non-violent and peaceful methodology.
He called on the people to use all peaceful and civilised means in resisting the attempt to deny Ogonis their rights, adding “that laying of pipelines in Ogoni falls within the context of oil production.”
He warned that Ogoni cannot accept that such capital project be executed in the area without EIA, discussion and agreement with the people, adding that Shell remains persona non-grata in Ogoni and must steer clear of the region.
Meanwhile, MOSOP, yesterday, slammed statements ascribed to the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Tai Local Government Area, Mr. Silver Ngba as not only disgraceful but also provocative and a huge betrayal of the Ogoni people.
It regretted that Ngba had earlier confessed to journalists on how he connived with Shell, using soldiers and the police to chase away Ogoni demonstrators protesting against the controversial laying of pipelines in the area without the free, prior and informed consent and agreement with the Ogoni people as well as carry out Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before embarking on the project. He as well lamented that the oil mogul has refused to pay him as agreed after accomplishing his part of the deal.
MOSOP said in a statement yesterday that if the Tai LGA chairman could publicly tell the world how he took part in actions that violated the fundamental human rights of the Ogoni people, including inflicting bodily injuries on innocent, harmless and peaceful Ogoni demonstrators and gave pecuniary reason for his involvement, it was enough for the Rivers State Government to remove him from office.
MOSOP, thus warned all Ogonis to desist from working against the collective interest of the people as this will not be tolerated.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday arrested over 100 suspects at Proxy Night club located at No. 7, Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, where a drug party was going on.
Spokesman of the Agency, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this yesterday, said the suspects arrested include the owner of the club, Mike EzeNwalieNwogu, alias Pretty Mike, who was taken into custody for screening.
“Cartons of illicit substances, including Loud and laughing gas, were recovered from suspects at the party and the club’s store,” Babafemi said.
The raid followed intelligence about the drug party. NDLEA operatives who were embedded in the party between 11 pm on Saturday, 25th October, however, disrupted the gathering at 3 am on Sunday, 26th October, in line with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Similarly, NDLEA said a total of 70 parcels of cocaine factory packed in walls of cocoa butter formula body cream containers heading to London, United Kingdom, were uncovered at the export shed of the MurtalaMuhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, with three suspects arrested in a series of follow-up operations across Lagos.
According to the statement, “The cocaine consignments weighing 3.60 kilograms were discovered on 14th October 2025 during examination of cargoes packaged as personal effects going to London, UK on an Air Peace flight.
“A cargo agent, Lawal Mustapha Olakunle, who presented the consignment for airfreight, was promptly arrested while investigations stretching into two weeks led to the arrest of two principal suspects linked to the attempt to export the concealed Class A drug to the UK.
“In a follow up operation on 18th October, a female healthcare worker OgunmuyideTaiwo Deborah was arrested following which Mutiu Adebayo Adebiyi, the Chief Executive Officer of a travel agency, MutiuAdebiyi& Co, was arrested at his 23 LadokeAkintola Street, Ikeja GRA Lagos office on Monday 20 th October”.
In a similar development, an attempt by a 35-year-old Lesotho national, Lemena Mark, to export 103.59 grams of methamphetamine concealed in a diabeta herbs coffee tea pack to the Philippines on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from the AkanuIbiam International Airport (AIIA) Enugu on Wednesday, 22nd October, was thwarted by NDLEA officers who arrested him and recovered the illicit drug.
No fewer than 21,950 capsules of tramadol 250mg concealed inside a 100-litre water heater were recovered from a suspect, Umar Abubakar, 40, who was arrested by NDLEA operatives at Bode Saadu, Morro local government area of Kwara state, following credible intelligence on Tuesday, 21st October.
In Taraba, the duo of Auwal Musa, 26, and SalihuBala, 22, were arrested on Tuesday, 21st October, with 450,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 at Dan-anacha checkpoint while conveying the consignment in a truck loaded with building materials from Onitsha, Anambra state, to Mubi, Adamawa state.
Also, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Okene/Lokoja highway, Kogi state, seized 162.200kg skunk, a strain of cannabis, from a truck on Friday, 24th October. Operatives in Nasarawa state on Wednesday, 22nd October, recovered 128kg of the same psychoactive substance from a suspect, Abubakar Muhammad, 55, in the Keffi area of the state.
A mother of two, Oyonumoh Glory Effiong, who is a major distributor of Canadian and California Loud, both strong strains of cannabis, in Lekki, Ajah, Ikoyi, Victoria Island and VGC areas of Lagos, has been arrested by NDLEA operatives on Friday, 17th October, during a raid at her Lekki home, where 500 grams of the illicit substances were recovered.
In the Ikorodu area of Lagos, NDLEA officers on Thursday, 23rd October, raided the home of a suspect, OgunyaboAdenigbigbe, at Solomade estate, where 275 litres of skuchies, a new psychoactive substance produced with black currant drink, cannabis and opioids, were recovered.
A 75-year-old grandpa, EchenduOnuoka, was arrested on Wednesday, 22nd October, at Ovum village, Obingwa LGA, Abia state, with 4.7kg skunk seized from him, while a 60-year-old grandma, Aukana John, was nabbed with 225 grams of the same substance at Apanta village, in the same LGA.
While a 150kg skunk was recovered during a raid operation at Lot camp, IkunAkoko, Ondo state, two suspects: Bashir Mohammad, 50, and Samini Ahmed Tijjani, 35, were nabbed with 234.5kg of the same substance at Yan aya ,Saminaka in Lere LGA, Kaduna on Friday, 24th October, just as another set of suspects: IsahUsman, 50, and Salvation Okoler, 18, were arrested with 8,600 pills of tramadol 225mg and rohypnol along Abuja/Kaduna highway.
At the Seme border area of Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, 22nd October nabbed Jacob Ojugbele with 55kg skunk at Ashipa area of Badagry, while AmusaOluwabukola was arrested with 121.3 litres of skuchies at ItogaBadagry.
In Zamfara state, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Gummi-Anka road on Monday, 20th October arrested a suspect, Abubakar Ibrahim, 30, in possession of an AK-47 rifle and 1,746 assorted calibres of ammunition, for AK-47 and GPMG rifles while moving them from Sokoto to Bagega forest, Anka LGA, Zamfara. Both the suspect and the exhibits have since been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities, among others, in the past week.
These include: WADA sensitization lecture to students and staff of Asabari Grammar School, IluwaIsaleOke, Saki West LGA, Oyo; Government Day Girls Secondary School, BirninKebbi, Kebbi; St. Mark’s College, Nsude, Enugu; Kusaki Secondary School, Gboko North, Benue; Government Day Secondary School, Serti- Baruwa, Gashaka LGA, Taraba; Police Children School 2, Port Harcourt, Rivers and Hajara Ahmad International School, Tudun Wada, Kano state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, AIIA, Lagos, Kwara, Abia, Nasarawa, Kogi, Ondo, Anambra, Taraba, Kaduna, Seme and Zamfara Commands for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed BubaMarwa (Rtd) urged them and their colleagues across the country to continue the Agency’s balanced approach to drug control efforts.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), BayoOjulari, to provide a detailed account of oil revenues reportedly flagged by the Auditor-General of the Federation in the 2022 annual report.
The report, published on September 9, 2025, raised questions over the management of multi-billion-naira transactions, including over N22 billion, $49 million, £14 million, and €5 million in oil-related revenue, handled by the national oil company.
In a letter dated October 25, 2025, and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, KolawoleOluwadare, the organisation called on Ojulari to ensure transparency by identifying those responsible for any unaccounted funds and forwarding the findings to the appropriate anti-corruption agencies.
“These findings raise serious concerns about transparency and accountability in the management of public resources,” SERAP said.
The group urged the NNPCL to recover any unremitted or misapplied funds and return them to the national treasury, stressing that proper management of oil revenues was crucial for national development.
“The allegations, if not promptly and transparently addressed, could undermine public confidence and economic stability,” SERAP stated.
According to the organisation, the Auditor-General’s report drew attention to issues such as irregular payments, uncompleted projects, and documentation lapses relating to oil sector transactions.
SERAP argued that corruption and financial mismanagement in the oil sector had long hindered Nigeria’s ability to channel its vast petroleum wealth into improved public services.
“Despite the country’s enormous oil resources, citizens continue to face hardship due to a lack of accountability and transparency in revenue management,” the statement noted.
The organisation maintained that if the flagged funds were properly accounted for, more resources could be made available for sectors such as education, healthcare, and social welfare.
It added that the NNPCL must take proactive steps to comply with audit recommendations, including closing identified loopholes and enhancing oversight on contract execution.
SERAP also warned that it would take legal action should the NNPCL fail to respond within seven days.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and publication of this letter.
“If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel compliance in the public interest,” the organisation said.
The group cited Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution, which mandates public institutions to prevent corrupt practices and abuse of power.
The Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Constitution Review has approved the creation of an additional state in the South-East geo-political zone.
According to a statement by the media unit of the committee, the resolution was reached on Saturday at a two-day retreat in Lagos, where it reviewed 55 proposals for state creation across the country.
The session, chaired by the Deputy Senate President, BarauJibrin, and co-chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, resolved that, in the spirit of fairness and equity, the Federal Government should create another state for the region.
Kalu, who joined other lawmakers to champion additional state creation for the region, argued that a new state would give the people a sense of belonging.
When created, the South-East will be at par with the South-South, South-West, North-Central, and North-East zones, each having six states.
The South-East is the only geo-political zone with five states comprising Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.
The North-West comprises seven states: Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Jigawa.
According to the statement, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) moved a motion for the creation of the new state, which was seconded by Ibrahim Isiaka (Ifo/Ewekoro, Ogun State) at the retreat.
“The motion received the unanimous support of committee members and was adopted,” the statement read in part.
Similarly, the committee also established a sub-committee to consider the creation of additional states and local government areas across all six geo-political zones, noting that a total of 278 proposals were submitted for review.
Speaking at the event, Jibrin urged members to rally support among their colleagues at the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly to ensure the resolutions sail through during voting.
“We need to strengthen what we have started so that all parts of the country will key into this process.
“By the time we get to the actual voting, we should already have the buy-in of all stakeholders—from both chambers and the state Houses of Assembly,” the Deputy Senate President was quoted as saying.
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