Slow Response To May 6, Pipeline Bursts In Ogoniland, Unconscionable – HOMEF

The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), has condemned the what it described as the slow response of government and oil companies to the pipeline bursts in the Trans Niger Pipeline in B-Dere community in Ogoniland as unconscionable.

Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, who stated this when he led a team of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to the affected communities, said that the slow or lack of response by both the government and oil companies underscored the lack of care for the people and the environment.

Bassey specifically noted that the level of laxity is absolutely unacceptable, stressing that the fact that the spill that happened a week ago is yet to be stopped, sends a very strong point to why government should focus on cleaning up Ogoniland and not seek to open new oil wells.

HOMEF therefore demanded that the old wells should be shut down, and decommissioned, stressing that the communities must not continue to be sacrificed on the altar of petrodollars.

It also called on NOSDRA, NESRA, MENA and HYPREP to move into swift action to stem the unfolding ecological and human crises.

The Executive Director of HOMEF expressed disappointment over the level of neglect to communities, saying; “We are in a disaster zone and further disasters can erupt and even an accident can spark a fire”.

Dr Bassey therefore called on all relevant authorities to move into action to curtail the spread of the flowing crude, stressing that the government cannot be silent at a time such as this.

Bassey said; “This is a time when all agencies should be here to stop halting the shit down the pipeline, stop the pollution and carry out urgent clean up and remediation.

The Trans Niger Pipeline erupted and triggered streams of crude oil flowing through B-Dere community in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State that caused explosion which occurred on May 6, 2025, as a consequence of equipment failure.

Forefront News gathered that a similar explosion occurred in the Bodo community on the March 17, 2025, which caused a massive fire that spread through the mangroves. 

The spills showed very clearly, the massive risks the communities will be exposed to if the desire of the federal government to resume oil extraction in Ogoniland commences.

Already, many of the B-Dere community people have been internally displaced while those already impacted by the spill are living in fear over their health and safety.

A visit by HOMEF team along with other CSOs to the spill site, showed a distressed indigenes of the community who expressed high level of pain and a sense of exposure and abandonment.

The woman leader of the community, Chief Mrs Augustina Biebie, said that the level of restlessness in the community has worsened.

In the words of Biebie; “The spill brought crude oil into houses of many of our people. The thick smell of crude oil has affected our health. Breathing has become a problem, and it has become difficult to even feed because some of us cannot light fires in our kitchens,” she stressed.

Also speaking, Pastor Kpobari Bani, whose house was affected, said that since this incident, he has not been able to cook for fear of explosion, adding that his mother has been displaced and moved to a neighbour’s house for fear of explosion.

Kpobari said that Shell said it has sold to Renaissance Oil, which now owns the pipeline, adding that they called on them to come and stop the spill and also called on the government and other relevant authorities to come to their aid and bring remedy to the land.

Also speaking on the development, Celestine Akpobari, an environmental activist, said; “This is one of the reasons why we have rejected the idea of restarting oil exploitation in Ogoni. The exploitation has not started, but the situation is becoming more volatile with spills of this nature.

“This is supposed to be a remediation site, but as you can see it is an ecological crime scene. We are afraid that if this is not properly contained, the damage will be far worse than what we see,” he said.

Continuing from there, HOMEF called for a swift action to plug the leakage, remediate the land and carry out a thorough health audit on the exposed people of the community.

It said; “Government must show that they care for the people and the environment. Aged oil facilities should be decommissioned and retired, and all alleged divestments should be nullified to ensure that those who have made our communities literal land mines do not walk away from accountability”.