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The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has urged the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) notifying the agency that a fresh oil spill has devastated the environment of Yiba-ama (Oruma) community in the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The group,in a letter dated July 15, 2021, said its field monitors who visited the impacted sites accompanied by some community leaders traced the spill incident to Odua in the neighbouring Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The organization urged the agency to probe the incident and compel the owners of the facility spilling crude oil to stop it from spreading and remediate the polluted environment.
The letter read in part: “On Tuesday, 13 July, 2021, ERA/FoEN field monitors visited Oruma community and were led to the impacted sites of the spill incident where investigation indicated that the crude oil was spreading from neighbouring Odua community. Odua is a boundary community in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State.
“On the strength of the above, ERA/FoEN formally notifies and calls on NOSDRA, Bayelsa State, to urgently conduct an independent investigation on the spill and its source, and compel the spilling facility owners to immediately stop the spill and clean-up the impacted environment.
“May we equally alert NOSDRA that this notice serves as information from the community on this subject matter and in accordance with the NOSDRA Act, penalties will begin to count for the spilling facility owners from the date of receipt of this information.”
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