… demands recognition as rightful owners
THE people of Letugbene, Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, have shut down a Shell Petroleum Development Company’s drilling rig.
The locals alleged that the company had failed to give them due recognition as the rightful owners of the land where the Tunu Flow Station is located, despite the fact that a court judgment had earlier acknowledged them as rightful owners.
Protesters disrupted work at the oil rig of the Specialty Drilling Fluids Limited and threatened to shut down the Tunu Flow Station if their demands were not met.
They also called on relevant authorities to intervene to avoid a breach of the peace.
Wilfred Ekere, a native of Letugbene, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, said, “We are here on a peaceful protest. SPDC, being our tenant over the years, has operated and has neglected Letugbene and the entire Eduni people. We have been in litigation when they broke into the land.
“The litigation has lasted for more 30 years now and eventually the case was decided by the Chief Justice of Bayelsa, Justice Kate Abiri, and it was in favour of Letugbene community. SPDC, having seen that the case has been won by Letugbene community, connived with the neighbouring community, Egbema-Angalabiri, and immediately, on that fateful day, filed a notice of appeal.”
He said their notice of appeal was dismissed for lack of merit, noting that the case continued at the Court of Appeal.
He said, “In 2018, it was decided again in favour of Letugbene community at the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt. Thereafter, the Egbema-Angalabiri went to Supreme Court. That is where we are and ever since, SPDC has broken into our land. Last year, they came with a rig without consulting the Letugbene people that have won the case twice and employment was not done, no contract, empowerment whatsoever.
“This year again, they came with another rig and it is the desire of Letugbene people that they stop the rig operation for now and if they fail this time around, then the rig will not continue. We are here on the ground at the rig location. Our women, our youths are all on board the rig.
“Presently, the rig has been shut down and it will remain shut down until when SPDC will come to a roundtable talk with Letugbene and resolve this issue.”
The protesters appealed to the Federal Government and Bayelsa State Government to wade into the matter, saying that “there is no law on the ground that anybody that won a case twice cannot exercise his right.”
They said, “Moreover, there is no stay of execution on the appeal pending in the Supreme Court. So we are calling on relevant agencies to come to our aid so that this matter will be looked into and be decided so that Letugbene will take possession of our land.
“We cannot be here and Shell continuously breaks into our land forcefully to do their work.”
