The federal high court in Abuja has awarded 82 billion naira against Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and its Joint venture partner Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for environmental pollution.
The judgment debt is expected to be paid within 14 days to the oil communities in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State after which 8 percent interest will be accruable on the principal sum annually
Delivering judgment in the suit Justice Taiwo Taiwo held that the American oil company and NNPC were negligent in the way and manner they handled oil spills that caused environmental degradation in the communities.
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According to Justice Taiwo, the companies are interested in revenue generation at the expense of the health of the host communities.
Siting Section 11, subsection 5 of the oil Pipeline Act makes it mandatory for oil companies to monitor and repair their pipelines to avoid spillages and environmental degradation, he rejected the claims of the NNPC that the suit was statute barred in 2012 as against required provision of section 12, sub section 1 of the NNPC actb2004.
The Ibeno communities led by Obong Archianga and 9 others had through their lawyers, Lucius Nwosu, brought an action against NNPC, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and ExxonMobil Corporation seeking about N100 billion compensation for economic losses suffered from oil spillages caused by the defendants during exploration
The court therefore ordered Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited and its Joint venture partner Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to pay the sum of N42.8 billion as damages for intangible losses, N21.9 billion special damages as annotated and N10 billion as general damages, for Oil spillage.
Editor: Ena Agbanoma
