Imported User:
Four communities in Gokana local government area of Rivers State are demanding N121billion compensation from oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), over an oil spill that devastated their areas in 2009.The communities are alleging that a hydrocarbon fire and spill caused by equipment failure at Shell’s facility at its Bomu oil field had destroyed the economic life of the communities, affecting six families.In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP in Port Harcourt, spokesperson of the plaintiffs, Mr. Bari-ara Kpalap, said that, already, the affected communities had dragged Shell before the Federal High Court II, sitting in Port Harcourt, to seek redress.Kpalap said: “The suit numbers are FHC/PH/CS/133/2012 and FHC/PH/CS/142/2012, where the plaintiffs are seeking a N121.7 billion compensation for the severe impacts inflicted on them and the local populations.�The litigant listed the communities worst hit by the spill as Kegbara Dere, Kpor, Biara and Deken, while the families are Gberebeedom, Keenom, Dugbor, Keregbor, Biradee and Nkoo/Gbienga Nbe.“The communities are collectively claiming N88, 400,188, 208.00, while the families sought to be paid N33, 303, 804, 000.00 which represents general damages on health issues and death of community and family members, loss of farming rights, shrines and sacred places and air pollution.“Others are loss of fishing rights and ponds, economic trees, cash crops, land, swamps and creeks,� he said.The communities said that the oil firm was under lawful duty to provide alternative source of drinking water for them, as hosts “in pursuant to their right to general satisfactory environment favourable enough to their development under the African Charter on Human and Peoples rights.�
