Fresh oil spill disrupts fishing in Bayelsa community

By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa A fresh crude oil spill has polluted the shoreline of Egweama community on Cape Formosa Island in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, disrupting fishing activities and leaving residents stranded. The incident, which occurred on Sunday, November 1, 2026, was documented in a field report by the Environmental Conservation Agriculture and Rural Development (ECARD).

The organisation said the spill was reported to it the following day, with its Chief Operating Officer, Alagoa Morris, subsequently conducting a follow-up assessment. According to the report, crude oil had spread across the water surface along the Atlantic coastline, affecting the livelihood of residents who depend mainly on fishing. It said jerrycans, drums and plastic basins were seen filled with crude oil, while some youths were observed scooping the pollutant into containers on Monday morning.

A resident, Ms Ebimiete David, said community members had spent several hours collecting crude oil from the shoreline. She said children first reported seeing crude oil along the shoreline between 5pm and 6pm on Sunday, adding that the volume increased when the tide came in around 8pm. David said residents continued scooping the oil into containers until about 3am, when the water receded and carried away a large quantity of the pollutant.

Also recounting the impact of the spill, Chief Souyo Amasara-Inengite, described as the first settler at one of the fishing camps along the affected shoreline, said the incident had prevented fishermen from going to sea. He said the oil covered the water surface when they attempted to go fishing between 7pm and 8pm on Sunday, adding that some fishing nets had also been contaminated and damaged.

“We are all stranded on land now. Just now I went out to the sea to drop my fishing nets but there was no way; everywhere is crude oil and I returned disappointed,” he said. Confirming the incident, Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Mr Tonye Yemoleigha, called for urgent intervention and cleanup. In a statement titled, “Oil spill: Egweama community cries out for immediate help, Cleanup,” Yemoleigha said the community was uncertain about the source of the spill.

He, however, said unconfirmed reports from community sources suggested that it might have originated from the activities of Aiteo Oil Company, whose vessels transport crude from Nembe Creek to the Atlantic. Yemoleigha urged the Bayelsa State Government to intervene and ensure that the responsible oil company undertook immediate remedial action and cleanup.

He also called for medical and relief materials to cushion the socioeconomic impact of the incident on affected residents. ECARD described the incident as another example of the recurring problem of “mystery spills”, in which the source of oil pollution remains unidentified and operating companies deny responsibility. The organisation cited previous offshore incidents, including the 2024 Foropa community spill and the 2021 Sangana/Koluama incident, where Conoil was suspected but the results of investigations were not made public.

It said crude oil fingerprint analysis could help identify the source of such spills by comparing samples collected from affected sites with crude from suspected facilities. “The only way to solve the mystery of a mystery spill is resorting to ‘fingerprint analysis’ of the crude oil samples from the impacted sites which could reveal the operator whose facility actually discharged crude oil into the environment,” the report stated.

ECARD called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment to investigate the incident, establish its source and ensure immediate cleanup. It also advocated better funding and equipment for regulatory agencies, independent environmental monitoring, prompt response to spills and stronger collaboration with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Navy to address recurring offshore pollution.

The organisation said no individual or company should be allowed to pollute the environment and deny residents their rights to health and livelihood. “Nobody or corporation has the right to pollute the environment and deny others their right to life, health and livelihood. Denying fisher folks their means of livelihood is unacceptable,” it stated.