An oil leak from a field, allegedly operated by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, has polluted the Kalaba Community in Bayelsa State, according to residents.
Community leaders in Yenagoa Local Government said the leakage, which was first noticed in August, has been spilling crude and spreading into the swamps and forest.
They claimed that the situation is putting the ecosystem in the community under threat.
They appealed to relevant government agencies to prevail on NAOC to halt the spills and carry out remediation on the site immediately.
Chief Roman Orukali, the Paramount ruler of the community, said on Thursday that though officials of the company visited the area, the spill had yet to stop.
Orukali said: “Agip came to the site on August 5 although, they have yet to reach the area because of water and up till now the oil is still bubbling and it is heading into the fishing swamps.
“If not cleaned up in time, it will affect us adversely because the swamp is our only source of livelihood.
“They don’t attend to spillage on time, so I am appealing to the Federal Government to prevail on the company to return to the site on time and make the necessary clean up and remediation.”
Also speaking, the youth leader of the community, Samuel Opuro, said aquatic and farming activities were worst hit by the spillage.
Opuro remarked: “The spillage got to my notice on August 2 and I am very sure that the spills happened even before then.
“For the site to remain that way for over a month now, you can imagine what it means.
“When it rains, oil particles go deep into the soil and they affect farmlands; our economic trees are dying.”
Alagoa Morris, a renowned environmentalist, called on the multinational oil firm to take urgent steps to stop the spill in order to avert imminent danger.
Morris said: “This is rainy season; the spill will impact the surrounding swamp. This is the time when swamp fishing activities take place, but with this spill, it becomes a bad time ahead.
“That is why we are very much concerned, because the more the spill, the more the water takes it far away from the very spillage point.”
The environmental rights activist, however, urged the community to exercise caution and promptly report spillage incidences in their areas to appropriate authorities to ensure timely clean up.
It will be recalled that Kalaba Community had in February experienced a gas leak, which occurred underneath the Taylor Creek.
The Management of Eni, Italian energy firm and parent company of NAOC decline comments on the development when contacted.