By Abbas Nazil
A disagreement has emerged between Oando, environmental regulators, and residents of Azuzuama Community in Bayelsa State over the findings of a joint investigation into an oil spill that occurred along the company’s pipeline facility.
The dispute followed the June 25, 2026, oil spill incident along Oando’s six-inch Azuzuama-Tebidaba flow line in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
While the company and some regulatory officials attributed the incident to sabotage through induced corrosion, members of the host community insisted that equipment failure and natural corrosion were responsible for the pipeline rupture.
A field report by the Environmental Conservation Agriculture and Rural Development (ECARD) stated that the spill, which released a large quantity of crude oil into the environment, was caused by induced corrosion linked to deliberate interference with the pipeline.
The Director of Petroleum and Pollution at the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment, Reuben Enai, who participated in the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV), also supported the sabotage claim.
Enai said visual inspection of the affected pipeline revealed marks suggesting that acid may have been used to weaken the upper section of the facility.
He argued that natural corrosion was unlikely to have caused damage at the topmost section of the pipeline, describing the location of the rupture as evidence of possible external interference.
However, the Azuzuama Community Development Committee rejected the findings, maintaining that the spill resulted from equipment failure and corrosion.
The committee’s Chairman, Angasei Perediseghebofa, said the outcome of the JIV was unreliable, adding that visible rust on the exposed pipeline indicated corrosion rather than sabotage.
He also alleged that testing equipment introduced by Oando during the investigation malfunctioned, preventing a proper assessment of the cause of the incident.
The committee’s Vice Chairman, Uyabara Boneghen, also questioned the reliability of the equipment used during the inspection.
Boneghen raised concerns over another leak discovered beneath a platform in the area, saying bubbling gas from the location represented an additional environmental threat that required urgent investigation.
The Joint Investigation Visit is a statutory process used to determine the cause of oil spills, estimate the volume of crude discharged, and assess affected areas.
Environmental experts said the conflicting positions of the oil company, regulators, and community representatives had made the investigation inconclusive.
They called on Oando to immediately contain the spill, clean up impacted areas, and repair the underwater leak to prevent further contamination.
The experts warned that continued hydrocarbon discharge could worsen environmental damage and threaten the livelihoods of residents who depend on the affected ecosystem.
They also recommended a separate investigation into the underwater leak to establish its cause and ensure long-term protection of the community’s environment.
