Opu Nembe Community in Bayelsa Calls for Action Over Delay Investigation In AITEO’s Spill
The Opu Nembe Kingdom in Nembe Council Area of Bayelsa State has raised concerns over the delayed response to a recent oil spill near Santa Barbara, as revealed in a letter addressed to the Nembe Exploration and Production Company Ltd (AITEO).
The spill, which occurred on October 1, 2025, was not reported until four days later, on October 5, 2025, prompting frustration among the community members who have long dealt with the recurring environmental hazards caused by AITEO’s operations.
In the letter from Ntephe, Smith & Wills, the law firm representing the Opu Nembe Kingdom, the community expressed its dissatisfaction with the short notice for the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) scheduled for October 6, 2025, just one day after the notification.
The community has highlighted the lack of adequate time for assembling a competent team, which often includes members from distant locations such as Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Yenagoa.
The Kingdom’s representatives pointed out that this delay is a recurring issue, undermining the integrity of the investigation process. There is a deep concern that this could lead to the manipulation of findings, which would ultimately affect the quality and effectiveness of post-spill remediation efforts.
In light of these concerns, the Opu Nembe Kingdom has insisted on rescheduling the JIV to Thursday, October 9, 2025. The Kingdom is demanding a thorough and impartial investigation of the spill and calls for swift post-spill remediation efforts to mitigate the environmental damage. They also reiterated their demand for a broader, long-term solution involving a collaboration between AITEO, the local community, and regulatory bodies to address the continuous oil spills that have plagued their environment for the past decade.
The law firm emphasized that this letter serves not only to address the immediate issue of the spill but also to advocate for a lasting framework to prevent further environmental degradation caused by AITEO’s operations. They called on the company for its cooperation and commitment to a sustainable resolution that would protect the community’s ecosystem.
The matter has been escalated to key regulatory bodies, including the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), as well as the Bayelsa State Commissioner for the Environment, for their attention and necessary action.
Meanwhile efforts to get a respond from AITEO’s was unsuccessful as the company spokesman Matthew Ndiana-Abasi did not reply .
