A new oil spill has occurred in Ebubu Community in Eleme Local Council of Rivers State. Some eyewitnesses and community-based sources disclosed that the spill occurred on Friday night, February 10, with the spill point yet to be clamped as of the time this report was filed.

According to community sources, the spill is suspected to have been caused by equipment failure.

The Executive Director of Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, in a statement, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, recalled that the affected Ebubu Community was in court with Shell Petroleum Development Company for about 32 years till 2021 when the company was compelled by the court to pay $111m (about N45.9b) in compensation over an oil spill that occurred on the same Shell’s facility in the late 1960s during the Nigeria civil war that lasted between 1967-1970.

Fyneface said that some members of the community leadership alerted the centre of the spill, which was confirmed to be true. He said: “There is a need to address environmental concerns, seek ecological and environmental justice as well as campaign against environmental pollution.”

He claimed that a team from Shell was at the scene of the spillage to put out the fire before the next steps would be taken to clamp the spill point.

An effort to reach Shell’s spokesman, Michael Adande, was not successful, as his phone lines failed to connect. (The Guardian)

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