Barely weeks to the fourth anniversary of the devastating 2021 Santa Barbara oil blowout, the Opu Nembe Kingdom in Bayelsa State is as soon as once more grappling with one other spill — this time from an 8-inch supply line operated by Nembe Jap Exploration and Production Firm Ltd, previously often known as Aiteo.
The contemporary leak, which occurred on October 1, 2025, close to the Santa Barbara properly in OML 29, has reignited fears amongst residents who’re nonetheless recovering from the impression of the 2021 catastrophe that lasted greater than a month earlier than it was contained.
In a letter addressed to the corporate’s Well being, Security and Surroundings (HSE) Supervisor, Augustine Amaka Bisong, the neighborhood’s authorized representatives, Iniruo Wills and Dr. Dickson Omukoro of Ntephe Smith and Wills, accused the agency of poor disaster administration and disrespect for its host neighborhood.
In keeping with the letter, Aiteo’s administration knowledgeable the neighborhood of the spill solely on October 5 — 4 days after the incident — by means of a correspondence (Ref: NEPCo/HSE-JIV/2025/04) requesting a Joint Investigation Go to (JIV) to be performed on October 6.
The Opu Nembe management, angered by what it described as “a present of disrespect,” rejected the proposed date and requested for the train to be rescheduled to October 9, 2025, to allow correct illustration.
“Our shoppers deserve ample discover to assemble a reliable JIV crew, a few of whom journey from Lagos, Port Harcourt, or Yenagoa,” the letter learn partly. “This ensures due diligence and prevents the manipulation of the JIV course of, which has develop into a recurring drawback.”
The neighborhood additionally demanded a radical investigation into the most recent spill, a complete evaluation of its environmental and well being impression, and immediate remediation measures to guard residents whose livelihoods depend upon fishing and farming.
“Past this spill, our shoppers demand a top-level engagement between the corporate, the neighborhood’s technical crew, and regulators to determine a long-lasting framework that ends this continuous environmental burden,” the letter added.
Aiteo, which acquired Shell Petroleum Improvement Firm’s OML 29 in 2015, has confronted a number of spill-related controversies in Nembe over the previous decade. Most of the affected settlements, largely depending on artisanal fishing, stay impoverished by air pollution and lack of revenue.
Observers imagine the corporate’s latest rebranding from Aiteo to Nembe Jap Exploration and Production Firm Ltd was geared toward enhancing its public picture amid rising neighborhood mistrust.
Authorized Dispute Over Previous Spills
In the meantime, the Opu Nembe Kingdom is pursuing a separate authorized battle in opposition to the oil agency on the Federal Excessive Courtroom in Yenagoa (Swimsuit No. FHC/YNG/CS/284/2024), in search of compensation and environmental justice over three main spills recorded between 2019 and 2020.
In a latest correspondence dated October 7, 2025, and addressed to Aiteo’s authorized representatives, Abdul Mohammed (SAN) and Kayode Olaosebikan of Madyan Authorized Seek the advice of, Opu Nembe’s counsel — Wills and Omukoro — expressed frustration over repeated adjournments allegedly sought by the corporate’s legal professionals.
“Our shoppers, who depend upon oil-polluted waters for every day survival, view these delays as pointless and insensitive,” the letter acknowledged. “After 5 years of Aiteo evading legal responsibility, additional adjournments solely reinforce the impression of a defendant taking the judicial course of with no consideration.”
The neighborhood’s authorized crew urged Aiteo’s counsel to cooperate in guaranteeing the case proceeds to a well timed conclusion, stressing that justice delayed quantities to justice denied.
Requires Environmental Courts
Environmental regulation advocates have renewed requires the creation of specialised environmental courts to fast-track circumstances of oil air pollution within the Niger Delta. Bayelsa State at present has just one division of the Federal Excessive Courtroom, which serves because the court docket of first occasion in petroleum-related disputes — a scenario consultants say contributes to persistent delays.
The Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Fee’s 2023 report revealed that about 25 p.c of all oil spills within the Niger Delta happen inside the state. It additionally highlighted extreme flaws within the Joint Investigation Go to course of, together with weak regulatory oversight and trade interference.
As Nembe communities brace for the most recent spherical of environmental and authorized battles, frustration continues to mount over what residents describe as “a recurring cycle of neglect, air pollution, and injustice” — one which has left a permanent scar on their once-thriving creeks.