By George Onah

Port Harcourt-Over 30,000 inhabitants of some Ogoni communities in Goi, Gokana Local Government Area, Rivers State, have fled their homes over massive oil spill, while many others are on hospital admission at the Bodo General Hospital.

A hospital source said the people are suffering from nausea, occasioning vomiting “after drinking from water polluted by benzene.”

When Vanguard visited the communities, the smell of crude oil pervaded the air and could be perceived from about 700 metres to the entrance of the towns. The drinking water sources of the five coastal towns of K and B Dere, Bodo, Goi and Kpor “had been badly polluted,” a community leader told Vanguard.

Spokesman of Goi community, Alhaji Muhammad Kobani, said the pollution was caused by system failure from Bomu Manifold and Bodo West oilfield, operated by Shell Petroleum Development Commission.

He said: “The situation gets worse at night when the water returns, the smell overwhelms the entire community. Even if we shut the doors and windows, the stench is always there. We are really suffering here.”

On a closer examination of the waters at Goi, he added “there was no sign of aquatic life and even mudskippers, which exist in some polluted waters could not be found. Shrubs, coconut trees and other plants around the river were painted with dark colours of oil.”

Accompanied by the traditional ruler of the area HRH Mene Tomii Tomii, the community regretted that the area was not included in UNEP report on the oil spill in Ogoniland. According them, “Shell should clean up the area, pay adequate compensation and do the necessary remediation.”