Troops move in as Itsekiri youths’ siege to Shell facility continues

Protesting Itsekiri host communities of Ugborodo in Warri Southwest Local Government Area of Delta State on Sunday continued their siege to Shell Petroleum Development Company’s Ogidigben flow station in the area.

The protest, which started on Friday, continued on Sunday amidst possible fear of clash between the protesters and security operatives.

Some youths claimed that soldiers were being drafted in to ‘by all means’ quell the protest.

Representatives of the protesting locals said the soldiers were deployed by the oil and gas major, who were intimidating and threatening to deal with them if they do not vacate the company’s premises by the end of Sunday.

They claimed that the purported threat by security agents was capable of causing crisis in the area.

The Effurun barrack of the Nigeria Army and the Joint Task Force were yet to respond to request for information over the allegation of intimidation and threat to use of violence to quell the protest.

Community Youth, in a chat blamed the situation on management of SPDC, which he claimed, totally neglected Ugborodo, its host community for several years. “To add insult to injury, our indigenes are denied job opportunities, which they are very qualified for and companies owned by Ugborodo indigenes, with proven competence and expertise, are not given contracts meant for locals, in – line with the Local Content Act.

“We will not stop this protest until we extract commitment from SPDC and its Joint Venture partner, NNPC. Enough Is enough!” they said.

The latest siege to Ogidigben facility came on the heels of allegations by Olaja-Orori (Chief Priest) of Ugborodo (Olajori) Benson Omadeli, that the Group Managing Director of NNPC was neglecting the community in the distribution of benefits from oil exploration in the area.

(The Nation)