Leaders of Olugboboro community in Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa state and Eni, the parent body of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) have disagreed over the cause of an oil leak in the state.
While Eni confirmed the oil leak at its Ogboinbiri/Tebitada pipeline in Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa State, it attributed it to third party interference.
The multinational oil giant in a statement by an un-named spokesman said that it has already deployed booms to contain the spread of the spill.
The oil firm stated that a report of the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) carried out by the company with representatives of authorities and the communities showed that the spill occurred due to the activities of oil thieves in the area.
However, this contradicted the position of the indigenes of the affected Olugboboro community which recently decried massive leakage of crude oil from the pipeline operated by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, (NAOC) in the area where farm lands, water sources, ponds, economic trees and lakes in the forest have been completed impacted.
According to them, the spillage which occurred consistently for about two months at the ruptured Ogboinbiri/Tebitada pipeline was caused equipment failure from the facility operated by Agip.
Leaders in the Olugboboro Community, Chief Azeke Matthew Akpowari, Chief Ebimobowei Kenbo
Ipkesiware and Assistant Secretary General, Amos Oweifighe, in a letter to the Bayelsa Government on Tuesday, called for urgent intervention to stop the oil spill.
Agip stated that since the spill was caused by third party interference, it is not its direct responsibility but it “has already deployed booms to contain the spread of the spill.”
Peoplesmind