“Beneku community is host to Agip facility here in Kwale but they named most of their project in Okpia, but over here in the Community no one can talk to Agip because Agip is like the gods to the People. When there is a spill from their facility they just move in to the site and do their repairs without consulting anybody.
Agip operations are not being monitored by anyone. In August there was a spill from their pipeline and they moved into the site to fix the pipe and gave one of our brothers here in the community the clean up contract. He scooped over 10 drums from the pond and they said with that they had done the clean up. When I got the information of this  leakage I had to call ERA so you can witness how we are dying in silence…” -Eze Nwaeze, Youth chairman, Beneku Community

INTRODUCTION
Kwale Community is located in Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State and has an estimated population of 40,000 people who are predominantly fishermen and farmers.
Agip came into Kwale Community in 1957 but started operations in the early 1960s with the erection of a flow station, Okpia/Kwale gas plant and 22 oil wells.
ERA Field monitor visited the community on the 6th of October 2010 after receiving a call from the Youth Chairman of Beneku in Kwale, Mr Eze Nwaeze who called to report leakage from Agip pipeline into the community pond located along Okpia location 2 well.
When ERA monitor attempted to visit the site and meet with Agip staff and mobile policemen that were there trying to make repairs on the ruptured pipeline, bubbles were observed from the point of leakage which also had the pungent smell of gas. Agip staff barred ERA monitor from taking snap shots or other monitoring activity near the rupture location.

SPILL IN THE POND

ERA monitor was taken around the community ponds showing crude flow on the ponds which has destroyed the aquatic lives in the ponds and said to have reduced the community yields from the pond as fishermen.

“Beneku community is host to Agip facility here in Kwale but they named most of their project in Okpia, but over here in the Community no one can talk to Agip because Agip is like gods to the People. When there is a spill from their facility they just move in to the site and do their repairs without consulting anybody.
Agip operations are not being monitored by anyone. In August there was a spill from their pipeline and they moved into the site to fix the pipe and gave one of our brothers here in the community the clean up contract. He scooped over 10 drums from the pond and they said with that they had done the clean up. When I got the information of the leakage I had to call ERA so you can witness how we are dying in silence…” -Eze Nwaeze, Youth chairman, Beneku Community

ERA DEMANDS
•    Agip should be compelled to take steps to do proper clean up to the ponds of the Beneku/Okpia communities in Kwale.
•    Agip and the Delta State Government should make provision for a bridge over Ase creek to help de-colonized the people from the grip of Agip.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
•    Send a letter to your legislator (Local Government, State and Federal) to
call Agip to order.
•    Demand a cleanup of the pond affected by the slick from Agip facility
•    Write to Agip offices and demand that it stops all leakages in their facility and remediate impacted lands and pay compensation to the community folks.
•    Write to National Oil Spills Detection anr Response Agency (NOSDRA) in  Delta
NOSDRA Offices

National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency
NAIC House 5th Floor Plot 590 Zone AO Central Business District
P.M.B 145 Garki, Abuja.
Tel: 09-461-8691-9
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Port Harcourt
33 King Perekule Street
GRA, Phase II, Port Harcourt
Rivers State.Tel: 084-465-517, 0803-330-1815
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Warri
17 Swamp Road
Off Esisi Road, GRA
P.M.B. 1150, Warri
Delta State.Tel: 053-251-651, 0805-792-7605,
0803-565-0495
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Lagos
King George IV Street,
Games Village
Off Bode Thomas Street,
Surulere Lagos State.