Court approves amendment in Aiteo’s N122bn oil spill suit

Nathan Tamarapreye

The Federal High Court in Yenagoa on Thursday granted a motion to amend the spelling of the defendant’s name in a major oil pollution case brought by the Opu Nembe Kingdom.

Counsel to the plaintiffs, Chigozie Inwere, who held the brief for lead counsel Iniruo Wills, moved the application, which was granted by the trial judge, Justice Ayo Emmanuel.

Justice Emmanuel had earlier, on March 10, struck out a preliminary objection filed by Aiteo in the suit instituted by the Opu Nembe Kingdom over oil spills that allegedly devastated the community.

Aiteo’s objection was based on the claim that the plaintiffs had incorrectly named the company in the suit as Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company Ltd instead of its registered name, Aiteo Eastern E & P Company Ltd.

Shell Petroleum Development Company sold OML 29 to Aiteo in 2015, making the firm the operator of the oil bloc covering Opu Nembe and the neighbouring Otuabagi community, home to the historic Oloibiri oil wells.

The suit stems from three separate oil spill incidents, two in September and October 2019 along the Botokiri axis of the Nembe Creek Trunk Line and at Santa Barbara Well 1, as well as another in May 2020 at Well 9 in the Odeama Creek Oil Field.

According to the plaintiffs, the spills caused severe environmental degradation, destroyed livelihoods and inflicted extensive damage on the affected communities.

On August 15, 2024, the Opu Nembe Kingdom, represented by King Iyerite Chiefson Awululu Atubu, Chief Dr Ikaonaworio Eferebo-Igoma, Chief Dr Markson Amaegbe-Tamuno and Mr Doibo Evans, filed the suit seeking N122 billion in environmental justice, compensation and remediation.

In the suit marked FHC/YN/CS/284/2024, the plaintiffs, through their lead counsel, Mr Iniruo Wills of Ntephe Smith and Wills, are asking the court to declare that the devastating spills were caused by Aiteo’s operational failures and negligence.