The blockade laid by the protesting host communities in the Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, on the Otumara Flow Station operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) took a new turn as leaders of the Otumara community, on Saturday demanded the arrest of sponsors of the crisis.
The protesters had anchored their action on non-inclusion of the Otumara community in the implementation of the PIA by Shell.
The leaders of Otumara, in a press statement jointly signed by Victor Igban, Aboyowa Omatsone and Oritsemone Temisaren respectively, disclosed that from their findings, “those responsible for the unwarranted attack and destruction of the Shell facility were not indigenes of the benefiting communities within the area.”
The statement read partly, “We the undersigned, on behalf of the communities surrounding the NNPC/SPDC joint venture facilities in Otumara area in the Escravos, Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, use this medium to call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to cause the arrest and prosecution of Messrs Ayiri Emami, Mode Akoma, Isaac Botosan, Monday Tenumah, Smart Edema, Lucky Esun, Alex Eyengho, Lucky Ekpedure and others, over the unprovoked attack and destruction of facilities in the NNPC/SPDC Otumara Flow Station with a daily production of 20,000 barrels of crude oil.
“We are aware that security agencies were informed of the plan to cause the unwarranted attack and disruption of oil production in the Otumara flow station well over 30 days ago.
“There are also military personnel stationed within the said facilities accommodated and provided with all necessaries for the protection of these facilities.
“It is very clear that none of the security agents made any attempt or took steps to abort the illegal disruption intended to cause serious national economic crisis.
“A few months ago, the NNPC/SPDC joint venture complained of reduction in production and revenue in connection with oil theft. With this unprovoked attack and destruction of facilities, there is serious indication to declare force majeure, for an unspecified duration, and the national economy will suffer further loss of revenue.
The leaders however, called on the Federal Government to “take urgent and decisive actions against the perpetrators”, and also enjoined the authorities to “purge the local government of bad elements”.
