The Ukpana Community, situated in Onna Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, took action on Wednesday by blocking the operations of Natural Oilfield Services Limited (NOSL) in their vicinity.
Naija News learnt that the community alleged the company’s activities had caused significant environmental damage, destroyed economic trees, contaminated water sources, and desecrated traditional places.
The Ukpana Community cited the bulldozing and sand filling of creeks, streams, and swamps such as Idim Mkpighe, Idim Uton, Etuk Enyang, and others, along with the destruction of ancestral shrines like Nkuku, Ikot Inwang, Ikpaisong Ubop Owo, among others.
NOSL, operating in conjunction with the Nigeria National Petroleum Exploration and Production Limited, oversees OML 13 in Oniong Clan, Onna LGA, conducting oil and gas appraisal activities along with well drilling operations.
The demonstrators, including men, women, nursing mothers, and youths, issued a traditional injunction demanding the cessation of the company’s operations until their demands were met, expressing frustration through placards at the alleged indifferent attitude of the company’s management towards their grievances.
After the protest, Ukpana’s village head, Ranzi Bassey, conveyed his disappointment to reporters, emphasizing the significant harm caused to their crops, economic trees, and infrastructure, alongside noise pollution.
In response, the village council engaged the community Attorney–Akwa Ibom Oil Producing Community Development Network (AKIPCON), to notify NOSL, yet their efforts yielded no response.
He said, “Ukpana people have been taken for granted since November 2019 when NOSL forcefully entered and cleared larger hectares of their farmlands, destroyed our houses, economic trees, food crops, building and structures, ancestral shrines /deities, fishing framing, streams, swamps, earth graves and tombstones with attendants health and human rights consequences.”
The village head highlighted that numerous creeks, streams, and swamps have been extensively bulldozed and filled with sand without the villagers’ consent.
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