Shell Petroleum reported an oil spill yesterday in Ogale, near Port Harcourt, after a saver pit overflowed during flushing operations in the Niger Delta. The company stated that its spill response team contained the spillage and notified authorities. According to a Shell spokeswoman, plans are being made for a joint visit headed by regulators to evaluate the cause and impact of the spill.
Decades of oil spills have wreaked havoc on Nigeria’s Niger River delta region, producing significant environmental degradation that has devastated millions of people’s livelihoods and compromised their health.
According to the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), the spill happened when crude oil began to flow from an underground pit to a pipeline that separates a part of the Ogoni cleaning operation.