By Our Correspondent
Oil spill, resulting from the breaching of a major trunk/delivery pipeline to Eriemu manifold in Urhoboland belonging to Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and Shoreline Resources has spread to neighbouring communities destroying farmlands.
Checks revealed that the oil spill is spreading fast and will require urgent attention for its control from spreading further.
A new militant group, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate had claimed on Wednesday that it breached the trunkline operated by Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and Shoreline Resources.
A member of the Operation Safe Delta, a security outfit of the Nigeria Army with operational base in the Niger Delta confirmed the attack on the delivery line in Delta State.
Confirming the attack, the security source said: “Yes, there was an attack on the Uzere-Eriemu trunk 16 line in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State.
“The attack was carried out with the use of dynamite and as I speak to you, surrounding communities like Agbarha-Otor and Uzere in both Ughelli North and Isoko South council areas have been affected by spills from the affected trunk line.”
A youth leader from Agbarha-Otor community, Victor Emuherie confirmed the spread of oil spill to his community and the surrounding areas.
He said: “We started noticing crude oil on our land only to be told that it is as a result of crude oil spill from a trunk line conveying crude from Isoko to the Eriemu manifold.”
The new militant group, which claims to be agitating for the people of upland that are host communities to oil facilities, said they had been left out of previous negotiations between the Federal Government and riverine communities hosts to same facilities in the past.
The group had announced its emergence on Tuesday with a 48 hours unltimatum to all the oil multinationals still in the upland of the region; AGIP, TOTAL, SHELL, MOBIL, SHORELINES, NECONDE, E.D WESTERN, SEPLAT and others to evacuate their personnel from the region, especially in the Ogba/Egi axis of Rivers state, Urhobo/Isoko/Ndokwa axis of Delta state and other upland oil producing areas.
It also threatened to blow up Warri and Porthacourt refineries as well as Utorogun gas plants in Ughelli South Local Government area of Delta State.
In a statement titled “Operation Zero” and signed by its Spokesperson, Aldo Agbalaja, said “one was down and countless more to go”
“The Central Operations Command of the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate hereby announces the commencement of demolition and evacuation of the uplands tagged “OPERATION ZERO” to correct the wrongs that have afflicted our people for years, seek justice for the perpetually cheated and protect the identities of our people, who are co-owners of the wealth which Nigeria has forever misappropriated”, it added.
It stated further “We would also want to use this medium to give a very strong warning to the operatives of the asset NPDC/SHORELINES not to commence repairs pending when they get signals from us otherwise the inevitable may occur to their personnels as we have earlier warned them to begin evacuating the uplands”, it warned.
The group noted that the attack was just a glipmse of what is to happen to other facilities penned down for destruction.
It decalred “This is just a glimpse of what is to come, there are several assets already penned down for destruction. This line of action has been made inevitable by an unjust system, which only responds to the violent, to the detriment of the peaceful and law abiding”, it added.
