The Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has drew the attention of Agip Oil Company to the gas leakage from the Bemobebe-aka Gas Well located in Odimodi community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.
The call was contained in a statement endorsed by the Communication Officer of ERA/FoEN, Elvira Jordan in Benin City, after it received a Save Our Souls (SOS) from the community on the 5th of July, 2023 over a gas leakage from Bemobebe-aka Gas Facility belonging to Agip, which it said has been nonoperational for some time.
The statement said: “The environment around the gas leakage is very toxic and highly polluted. The people of Odimodi are currently at risk of facing severe health implications from inhaling the gas that has circulated around the air space of Odimodi, coupled with the dangers of a fire outbreak, as gas is highly flammable.
ERA/FoEN said a fisherman, Brakemi Ndoro who first spotted and reported the leakage to the leadership of the community, noted that the leakage was discovered about three months ago and suspected to be as a result of a broken valve from the gas plant.
Jordan added that the Chairman of Odimodi Community, Solomon Gbegha revealed to ERA/FoEN that the leakage was reported to the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), followed by a joint inspection of the leakage by the community representatives and NOSDRA on the 26th of June 2023.
“According to the chairman, no other efforts have been made to shut down the leakage after the inspection”, he added, pointing out that the people of Odimodi are now living in fear, as they have been instructed to stay clear of the gas leakage area until it has been turned off.
The statement quoted the Executive Director of ERA/FoEN, Chima Williams as saying that “The people of Odimodi are currently in distress. After surviving a series of spills recorded in 2018 and 2022, they are suffering from yet another damage to their environment, in the form of a gas leakage caused by Agip.
“Despite housing multinational companies, Odimodi has been neglected by these companies, hence the slow response to oil spills and gas leakages. The government needs to implement stringent policies that will regulate and manage the activities of oil multinationals in Odimodi and other host communities.”