Ekameta and Ogirengbene communities in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State have raised alarm over alleged invasion of their communities’ forests by Integrated Data Servicing Nigeria Limited, IDSL, in the name of seismic operation.
A statement by National President of Ijaw People Congress, IPC, Mr Ekanpou Enewaridideke, on behalf of the two communities alleged that their territories were being desecrated by IDSL without the customary and legal courtesy of consensual dialogue and bush permit.
According to the statement, “distressingly, rather than engage Ekameta and Ogirengbene in meaningful discussion prior to the operation, IDSL has created non-existing communities and superimposed them on Ekameta and Ogirengbene and forwarded them to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to blindfold NNPC that all is well in their area of operation.
“The communities are being manipulated and denied their entitlements by the Community Relations Department of IDSL.”According to them, this is an invitation to violent eruption from the communities and called on the management of NNPC, the Presidency and the Senate President David Mark to intervene to avoid unpleasant consequence.
Meanwhile, they have called on IDSL “to stop their operation until they have meaningful MoU with Ekameta and Ogirengbene communities and fully integrate them into the project. Again IDSL should stop further surreptitious invasive desecration of the forests of Ijaw communities.”
Source: Vanguard