Paul Osuyi, Asaba
An alleged disagreement between two families over the sharing formula of benefits from an unexplored crude has led to the death of two persons in Aboh, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State.
It was learnt that the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) was planning to explore crude from an existing oil well before the disagreement broke out.
As a result of the disagreement, elders of the community were said to have barred further activities at the location of the well until the contentious issues were resolved.
But some youths allegedly went to deceive the company, claiming that it could resume exploration as the issues had been settled.
An indigene of the community, Tony Osborg said: “During the attempted entry into the family land hosting the wellhead by the enumerators working for NPDC, a fight broke out between the two families. Gunshots and machetes followed and two lives were lost.
“Despite efforts by the elites of the community to invite the military to forestall further attacks and counter-attacks, the community has remained vulnerable with no feasible security presence.”
Recalling how the disagreement started, Osborg said the host family “rejected the proposal and insisted that they are entitled to keeping 60% as was the precedent on a recent negotiation during the Nextoil/NNPC OB3 Pipeline project.”
However, chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Olise Imegwu said he learnt of the death of one person, blaming the crisis on attempts by the host family to create their own community within the larger community.
Imegwu said the company had signed a Global Memorandum of Understanding with the kingdom, insisting that “there is only one Aboh kingdom and now the family is saying that before the company can do anything on their land, it must come directly to them. On three occasions that the company came to the land, the family drove them away.”
When contacted, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeleke Adeyinka, confirmed that the community was in crisis over issues relating to oil exploration
Adeleke, however, said he was not aware that there was any case of loss of lives, adding that the police had been on the ground to restore peace to the area.