Residents of Ogu/Bolo in Rivers State have escalated their protest against the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas by sealing off its premises at Amadi-Ama in Port Harcourt.
According to The PUNCH, this action follows the death of a fisherman, allegedly caused by a company vessel on the waterways.
The demonstrators, operating under the auspices of Concerned Ogu/Bolo Residents, joined by the mother of the deceased, have accused NLNG of negligence.
They claimed that the company’s vessel caused the sinking of boats and the destruction of fishing equipment along its sea routes, which led to the death of 27-year-old Precious Imabibo on January 20, 2024.
The protest has significantly disrupted operations at NLNG, with company staff unable to access the premises due to the blockade by aggrieved youth.
The entrance to the company remains sealed, and the protesters have vowed not to vacate until their demands are met.
The protest has also affected travelers using the NLNG jetty to reach Bonny Island, leaving them stranded for the past two days due to the ongoing demonstration.
The leader of the protest, Samuel Diamond, expressed frustration over NLNG’s lack of response to the incident.
He stated that despite multiple attempts to initiate dialogue through letters and protests, the company has remained unresponsive.
He emphasized that the community will continue to block the company’s operations until a satisfactory resolution is reached.
Diamond explained, “We have written them (NLNG) series of letters, we even wrote a letter to the community Development Committee of Amadi-ama after our first protest on January 29, but they have not done anything. We now wrote a letter to the Rivers State Commissioner of Police and the police invited us through the State Intelligence Department, they also invited them (NLNG) but they refused to come. We even wrote to the Inspector General of Police and Amnesty International to come to our aid because NLNG cannot be operating here and their activities are killing our people. We are going to remain here until NLNG does the needful, even if it will take us one week. We will not only block here, we will block the route of the waterway.”
The mother of the deceased, Blessing Imabibo, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of her son and criticized NLNG’s silence since the tragedy.
She lamented the company’s indifference to her plight, noting that her son, who was set to turn 28 in March, was her sole source of support.
Imabibo said, “This boy was the one helping me. So for somebody to take something very precious to one’s life is very bad and the way the company treated me was not good at all. I have been going from one police station to another, nothing has been done. My son died on January 20 and he would have been 28 years old in March if he was alive.”
In response, NLNG issued a brief statement through its General Manager of External Relations and Sustainable Development, Andy Odeh, acknowledging the protest and confirming ongoing discussions with stakeholders to resolve the issue.
The statement highlighted NLNG’s commitment to the safety and well-being of its employees and host communities and urged for calm as the Nigerian Police continue their investigation.
The statement, titled ‘Protest at NLNG Corporate Head Office’, read, “Nigeria LNG Limited is aware of a recurrence of a protest at its Corporate Head Office in Port Harcourt by a group claiming to represent the family in an incident allegedly involving an NLNG chartered passenger boat along the Amadi Creek in January 2024. NLNG confirms that relevant stakeholders are being engaged towards an amicable resolution. The company places a premium on the safety and care of its people and host communities, and calls for calm while awaiting the outcome of the Nigerian Police probe into the matter.”
Spokesperson for the Rivers State police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed that an investigation is ongoing. She noted that both the deceased’s family and the company had been involved in discussions as part of the investigation.
She stated, “We are investigating the matter. Both parties were with us, the deceased family, the community, and the company, were all seated here with us to discuss because the matter is under investigation.”
