There is palpable tension in Bodo community of Ogoni as community youths raise an alarm over payments emanating from a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to an oil spill site in Bodo community, Gokana local government area. The spill which occurred on August 25, 2022 caused colossal damage to the community.
Ogoninews investigations reveal that a Joint Investigation Visit to the oil spill site by representatives of the company, The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), community chiefs and representatives of government followed immediately. The youths of Bodo who secured the spill site to prevent unauthorized access by locals until the JIV was conducted and the spill was put out were however left out of the JIV investigations and are protesting non-inclusion in the payments.
The youths now allege that that community heads who failed to account for the sum of $3 Million earmarked for the Bodo cleanup have now received another sum of N60 Million meant for relieve and payment for youths who secured the oil spill sites from unauthorized access until the spill was brought under control. They allege that the money have been withdrawn by some chiefs without consideration for the 120 youths who secured the site.
The youths expressed concerns for the non-payment of those affected by the spills and the sponsored attacks on them which forced them to vacate their homes. They alleged that the chiefs involved in the compensation including the paramount ruler have failed to account for the monies.
The youths are calling for the intervention of stakeholders including the Gokana council chairman, Kenneth Kpeden to call on the community chief, Vi-Aah Berebon to account for the monies. The youths also called on the chairman of the Bodo traditional council to Mene Micheal Tekuru Porobunu to intervene in the matter.
In a statement by the president of Bodo City Youth Council, Kenneth Bakor, the youths claim on good authority that the paramount ruler of Bodo City, Chief Vi-Ahh Beebon and Chief Pius Mene Gah received the sum of N60 Million from the Shell Petroleum Development Company on Monday, 25th August, 2024. The are calling on the chiefs to account for the monies.
The youths are also demanding their fair share of the monies on the grounds that they kept vigil on the Koltah Pipeline on the 24 of August 2022. They demanded that their chiefs should give an account of the monies to a general assembly of the Bodo people.
The statement further said some indigenes of Bodo died as a result of the crises emanating from the oil spill and are currently at the morgue. They demanded their families be compensated.
