- Spokesman refuses to speak on incident
Aggrieved indigenes of Sangana Kingdom in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State yesterday protested against Conoil Producing Plc over its alleged refusal to perform its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
They also accused the firm of complicity in the murder of a youth by suspected security agents.
The indigenes, comprising elders, youths and women, dressed in black and went on rampage to draw the attention of relevant authorities to their plight in the hands of the oil major.
They chanted solidarity songs and brandished placards with inscriptions such as ‘We are tired of Conoil’s oppression’; ‘Stop killing us, stop the shooting’; ‘Why kill an innocent youth?’; ‘Ikiowori Benson is dead, why now?; ’25 years of operations in Sangana and nothing to show for it’, among others.
The protesters demanded that the oil frim address the lingering issues with stakeholders of the area or vacate their land.
The protest is coming few days after a youth was reportedly killed by security agents attached to the oil facility. Many people were reportedly injured and two others are still missing after the incident.
Former Chairman of Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Sangana clan, Otonbara Sigimo, said they were out to express their anger over the ill-treatment meted to them by the oil firm. He added that the neglect could no longer be overlooked.
According to Sigimo, several years after the signing of series of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), the oil firm had failed to abide by any provisions agreed upon. He noted that indigenes of Sangana had no other option than ask the oil company to vacate their community.
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He said: “How can they deprive our people of the benefits we are supposed to get? Worst still, an unarmed youth was killed in the area during a peaceful protest. We are not happy and we have endured for so long.
“A few days ago, we went on a peaceful protest and the result was the shooting of our brother. What was his sin, or what is our sin? We just went to have a peaceful discussion but rather they brought in military personnel to kill us. They must leave our territory because they don’t mean well for us.”
The Amanayabo of Moko Ama Sangana Kingdom, Moses Kenibara, expressed anger that the community had been hosting Conoil for over 25 years with nothing to show for it.
“They have rather impoverished the community. Before they started operation, there was no impact assessment of the area. The community has been talking to them but they blatantly refused. They write MoUs with us but never implemented it. This is not acceptable because it isn’t the standard of operation and we are aggrieved.”
Spokesman for Conoil, Richard Edegbai, said he would not speak about the incident on the phone.
He asked our reporter to book an interview with the organisation’s offices in Warri, Delta State, or in Lagos before the company could respond to any enquiry on the incident.