• Location: 5'8'', 6'27"
• Community experiences continuous oil spillage for six weeks
• Shell indifferent to the people’s plight

Introduction

Ikarama is an Ijaw speaking community in Okordia clan of Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. Five oil spill incidents occurred in the community between June and December 2008. The last spill occurred on December 6^th 2008 and has continued till date without clamping by Shell (See ERA Field Report 190).

ERA’s field monitor visited Ikarama again on January 13 and saw that crude oil was still spilling from Shell’s pipeline along the Ughelli/Rumuekpe trunk line. The magnitude of damage done by the spill is daily increasing as crude oil is flowing farther into community land, destroying fish ponds and farm lands and polluting the environment.

Testimonies

Speaking with ERA’s field monitor the Public Relations Officer of Ikarama, Mr. Raphael Warder said:

“This has become another gift from Shell to our people. Since this oil spillage occurred on the 6^th of December, 2008, about six weeks now, the company is yet to come and clamp the leaking spot on the pipeline. All the ponds around that area have been polluted and the spill has spread to our neighbouring community, Kalaba community. It would have even gone farther to other communities, but it was stopped by higher ground around Kalaba community. The Obran and Oya lakes have been completely destroyed.

We heard that Shell will come for clamping today but as you can see, it is already far into the day and they are yet to appear. This is definitely not the type of relationship we expect from Shell. They have no regard for us at all; that explains why they can be so callous as to allow such a situation to continue.

We call on Shell to please come and clamp the leaking spot and clean up the environment. It would have been better if our lawmakers came to see what we are experiencing. We do not know what else to do about this matter.

We are grateful to ERA for your continued interest in our environment and people. It is only groups like yours that have kept hope alive on the need to protect the environment.”

Other community members who were present at the spill site were Chief Mission Neberi and Mr. Beli Geoffrey. Mr. Mike Uagbae ,a Ph.D research fellow, accompanied ERA monitor on the visit.

Observations

ERA’s field monitor observed that the volume of crude spewed into the environment had increased and some of the plants in the lakes had started dying. Also, the colour of the crude oil which was yellowish had changed to black and a reddish colour. When a stick was dipped into the spot, it measured about 11ft into the ground. The crude oil was flowing freely from the leaking spot into the lake.

 ERA Demands

ERA demands that:

1. Shell mobilises to site and clamps the leaking spot on the pipeline without further delay.
2. Shell carries out immediate clean up of the lakes and polluted environment.
3. Remediation follows the above action.
4. Shell ensures proper maintenance of their pipelines in order to avert these ceaseless oil spills in the community.