Scores of people were feared killed and houses, boats and other properties estimated at millions of naira destroyed in a communal conflict between Ilaje and Ibeno residents of Ibeno in Ibeno Council of Akwa Ibom State.
Oil spill. PHOTO: aljazeera.com
The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has urged ExxonMobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited to comply with the Federal High Court judgment, which ordered it to pay communities in Ibeno Council of Akwa Ibom State N81.9 billion compensation for oil spills.
In the ruling, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, gave ExxonMobil and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) 14 days to pay N81.9 billion to the impacted communities.
The affected communities had sued ExxonMobil and NNPC, demanding compensation for oil spills that destroyed their rivers, streams and other sources of livelihoods.
Agency pledges to strengthen security in coastal communities
As the 30-day ultimatum the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) gave the presidency to appoint a substantive board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) closes, the agency yesterday, sued for calm, saying it was initiating dialogue with the youths.
The IYC and leaders of other ethnic nationalities in the region, had last week, issued a 30-day ultimatum to the presidency to appoint a substantive board for be NDDC without further delay or risk shutting down of the commission’s headquarters.
Speaking yesterday at a media briefing, as part of activities for his familiarisation and sensitisation tour of youth groups in the region, Special Assistant on Youth Matters to the Sole Administrator, Orusakwe Aseimiegha, canvassed peaceful resolution of the issues to usher in the needed development.