Residents of communities in Omoku Clan in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Loca Government Area of Rivers State have dragged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Oanda, Nigeria Agip Oil Company, NAOC, Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, to court over alleged non-compliance to the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA. The applicants who are members of Omoku Communities Youth Leaders Forum, OCYLF, including Ekeuwku Pureheart, Famous Elemchukwu Clinton, Daniel Woko, Ugochukwu Adah, Stanley Ohia, and Victor Eke, in the suit said Agip, OANDO PLC, and NNPC Ltd have refused to comply with the PIA and engage directly with the host communities.
The youth in the suit marked FHC/PH/CS/:::/2025 said for decades, OANDO PLC, NNPC, NAOC have conducted oil exploration in Omoku Communities land territories without formally recognising each of the affected communities, individually, adding that such has denied the people their rightful benefits, including development projects and direct engagement with the oil companies operating in their land. This suit is coming after an earlier suit instituted by the same organisation, marked, FHC/PH/CS/281/2024, in which the communities mentioned issues of neglect by the companies as well as the issues of environmental degradation due to oil extraction activities in the area.
The body said that both suits were in response to the continued refusal of the oil companies to comply with government directives, and in the bid to enforce the rights of their communities as provided in the Petroleum Industry Act. The suits before a Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, are demanding that Agip, OANDO PLC, and NNPC Ltd comply with the PIA and engage directly with the affected communities, as stipulated by law. It read in part: “The PIA mandates oil companies to deal directly with each affected host community, ensuring fair distribution of benefits and community-driven development initiatives. “The Federal Government has previously issued multiple directives instructing Agip and other oil firms to recognize Omoku communities as host communities. However, these companies have remained adamant, refusing to acknowledge the communities or fulfill their corporate social responsibilities.
“We demand, immediate recognition of each of the communities in the Omoku Cluster as a host community of themselves as provided for in the PIA. Direct engagement between oil companies and local leaders of each community and not by proxy as the law recognises only leadership of that individual affected community.” Full implementation of the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) under the PIA. Let each community in the omoku Cluster as claimed by OANDO have their rightly elected member of management and advisory committee of the Host Community Development Trust and their Fund Matrix with their CDP.
However, the Coordinator-General of the OCYLF, Comr. Ekeukwu Pureheart expressed the frustration of the youth: “For over five decades, our land has been exploited while we suffer. The Petroleum Industry Act was supposed to change things, yet OANDO, NNPC, Agip and others continue to act as though the law does not apply to them.
We are in court to ensure that justice prevails.” As the legal proceedings unfold, the youth leaders and affected community members are calling on the Federal Government and NUPRC to enforce compliance with the PIA. Speaking on behalf of the Obosi community, Monday Eluozo stated: “We are not asking for favors; we are demanding what is rightfully ours. The PIA was enacted to protect host communities, yet oil companies are still ignoring it. We are taking this battle to the courts because we refuse to be marginalized any longer.”
