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The Ikebiri community of Bayelsa State has instituted a legal action against Italian oil giant, ENI, over an oil spill dating back to 2010, which has not been addressed.
The oil giant, which operates in Nigeria through its subsidiary, Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), is responsible for the spill, which was allegedly caused by equipment failure.
The community, supported by Friends of the Earth, Europe, and Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria, is calling for adequate compensation and clean-up of the community.
The head of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Godwin Ojo, regretted that the spill, if it had been well managed, would not have spread to a huge expanse of the Ikebiri swampland.
He said although the leakage was closed in 2010, with NAOC claiming to have cleaned up the site. He, however, explained that going by the community’s account, the leaked oil in the surrounding area was simply burned, without their consent.
To date, no adequate compensation has been offered, or clean-up completed.
