Civil society organisations (CSOs) and residents of Kpean community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State have called for the decommissioning of all abandoned Shell oil wells in the area, citing decades of environmental pollution caused by persistent spills.
The call was made on Friday, August 29, 2025, during an inspection of a recent oil spill in Kpean by CSOs, including the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Kebetkache Women Development Centre, and Lekeh Development Foundation.
Speaking after the inspection, Director of HOMEF, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, said the abandoned oil wells some of which have been inactive since 1992 pose a serious threat to the lives and livelihoods of Kpean residents.
“These spills confirm that there has never been a proper response to oil pollution in the Niger Delta over the past seventy years. Old oil wells, like those in Yorla and Well 14, have been left to continuously pollute the environment. This is a disaster waiting to happen,” Bassey warned.
He urged the government to compel oil companies to dismantle and decommission old facilities, replace corroded pipelines, and clean up polluted sites instead of contemplating reopening them.
“It makes no sense to continue with this cycle of disaster from abandoned oil facilities. Communities should not be left to suffer while oil companies keep celebrating profits. This has to stop,” he added.
Friday Nbani, Executive Director of Lekeh Development Foundation, echoed the demand, stressing that remediation of farmlands and restoration of livelihoods should be prioritised.
“Enough is enough for oil spills in Ogoni. Just as oil companies and government work together to exploit our resources, they must also work together to solve community problems and ensure remediation,” Nbani said.
He insisted that beyond dismantling the oil wellheads, proper decommissioning and environmental assessment should be carried out to return the land to fertility.
“What we are after is a clean environment we are not after the process, divestment or no divestment. All we want is, that facility there who ever is responsible for it as soon as possible should act very fast because it pose danger’s, risk, to fishermen and farmers in the community.
Also speaking, Comrade Lemii Peteaba, youth leader of Kpean community, lamented the neglect suffered by locals despite hosting about 17 oil wells.
“Since the Ogoni struggle of 1993, Shell abandoned its facilities, leaving the wells corroded and unsecure. Our demand is simple: decommission the oil wells, fence the sites, and provide security,” Peteaba said.
He revealed that during the August 3 oil spill, some vandals attempted to sabotage one of the wells but were apprehended by community members and handed over to the police.
The youth leader also noted the lack of infrastructure in the area, including the absence of access roads to the wells, with the only bridge built before 1993 now impassable.
The inspection team and community members maintained that decommissioning the abandoned wells is the only way to avert further disasters and restore a safe environment for fishing, farming, and other livelihoods in Ogoni land.
By Tina Amanda