A new crude oil spill has been recorded in Ikata community, Ahoada East Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State, sparking renewed concerns over environmental degradation in the Niger Delta.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) confirmed the incident on the 14-inch Okordia–Rumuekpe pipeline operated by Renaissance Africa Energy Ltd.
According to the organisation, the spill was first observed on Friday, 22 August, and promptly reported through community monitors under the One Million Youth Volunteers Network of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters in the Niger Delta, alongside the Crude Oil Spill Alert System (COSAS).
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In a statement issued on Saturday in Port Harcourt, YEAC-Nigeria’s Executive Director, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, disclosed that the incident is suspected to be a result of sabotage, pending confirmation by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).
The Centre noted that this marks the second spill within three months on the same pipeline right of way in Ikata, following an earlier incident it documented on 5 May.
The development comes less than three weeks after an oil spill in Kpean, Khana LGA, which NOSDRA investigations traced to equipment failure.
YEAC-Nigeria has therefore urged NOSDRA to immediately conduct a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to Ikata in order to establish the cause of the latest spill and ensure that provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 are enforced against those found culpable.
