Protesters Storm Otumara Flow Station Over SPDC’s Refusal to Engage Host Communities
The nation is on the verge of losing 20,000 barrels of crude oil per day as protesters from Ugborodo, Deghele, and Ugboegungun, who are the host communities of the Otumara Flow Station in Delta State operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), last night gained entrance into the oil and gas facility.
This is following the expiration of the 48 hours handed to SPDC on Wednesday when the peaceful protest began over the alleged SPDC’s illegality against the spirit of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by refusing to engage the host communities’ Otumara Host Community Trust of the three communities.
THISDAY gathered that protesters gained entrance into the facility at exactly 5:00p.m. when the 48-hour ultimatum expired.
One of the leaders of the Ugborodo community, Mr. Alex Eyengho, confirmed the occupation of the SPDC facility by the protesters to newsmen yesterday.
The video footage sent last night to THISDAY also corroborated his claim.
“The protesters are right now inside the Shell facility, after the expiration of the 48-hour ultimatum. Report it. Quote me. For now, the protesters are still holding back from shutting down the facility,” he noted.
He, however, admonished Nigerian troops keeping vigil at the facility to exercise caution or be ready to kill the peaceful protesters.
“I dare say that the security agencies should not try anything stupid, except they are ready to kill thousands of protesters and people of Ugborodo, Deghele and Ugboegungun, who are the host communities of the Otumara Shell facility
“The 48-hour ultimatum expired at exactly 5:00p.m. today, and the protesters gained access shortly after,” he reiterated.
When asked if operations at the facility would be shut down and what the attitude of the Nigerian troops manning the yard had been, he said: “We are peacefully waiting for Shell, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and his Gas counterpart.
“SPDC authorities are saying they are willing to fly to Otumara tomorrow morning, together with the NUPRC. This is beyond the soldier’s ability to resist, except they want to have corpses of all kinds on the Escravos River.”
Recall that the three communities had jointly come under the Otumara Host Community Trust to interface with NUPRC as stipulated in the PIA, whose implementation is community-based.
A similar face-off is also pending between the Ugborodo Federated Communities, also in Warri South West Local Government Area, which have come together to form the Ikpere Host Community Trust in the implementation of the PIA.
SPDC and Chevron Nigeria Ltd. (CNL) have also been accused of playing hide and seek with their host communities and refusing to interface with them.
It would be recalled that indigenes of the aggrieved communities stormed the Security House Boat of SPDC Otumara Flow Station on Thursday with banners bearing various inscriptions, during which they gave SPDC a 48-hour ultimatum, effective Wednesday, August 23, to accede to their demand, following the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum earlier handed down to the company.
The angry protesters were closely monitored by the SPDC security details as well as the Eghare-Aja of Ugborodo Federated Communities, Eghare-Daniel Uwawah, and Mr. Isaac Botosan, among others.
