Indigenes of Ubagboro and Abigborodo communities in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State and an oil prospecting firm, SHN Energy Limited, current operators of the Kuri oil field in the area, are at loggerheads over the ownership of the sprawling oil field.
This is just as the indigenes appealed to the state government to intervene.
The indigenous people of the two communities on Friday staged a peaceful protest and called on the state and federal governments to intervene and assert their ownership of the Kuri field.
The demonstrators alleged that SHN Energy Limited had been working in cohort with Makaraba and Omadino communities in Warri South, with the support of some unnamed influential individuals in government, to claim ownership of the area and deny Ubagboro and Abigborodo communities what rightfully belonged to them.
The trust chairman of the Ubagboro community, Austin Ogbemi, said, “The area where Kuri field is located has always been acknowledged by the government and the previous company, Gulf Oil Company Nigeria Limited that operated the field from 1991 until around 2002 when they left that it belonged to both communities, thus paying compensation to the same within the period of their operation with no form of opposition and or litigation from any other communities.”
Also speaking on behalf of the protesters, the trust chairman of Abigborodo, Misan Ukubeyinje, said the residents were surprised by the action of SHN Energy Limited.
“We will not permit the oil company to operate until a roundtable discussion is held, and the government intervenes to fix the anomaly currently threatening the peace and security in the area.”
Augustine Okwazu, who responded on behalf of SHN Energy Limited, after a brief meeting with some leaders of the protesters, said, “The community came for a peaceful protest, and we discussed. I will pass their demands to the management, who in turn, will reach back to them.”
The aggrieved community had earlier addressed an open letter to the Governor of Delta State, Sherif Oborevwori, highlighting the alleged “illegal and oppressive actions” which it said could lead to a crisis in the state and called for immediate intervention.