By Emma Amaize

WARRI—PLACARD carrying Itsekiri and Ijaw riverine dwellers affected by the 2011  Bonga oil spill by Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, yesterday, besieged the National Oil Spill Response and Response Agency, NOSDRA, in Warri, Delta State, in protest.

A community leader, Chief Otobo  Itiemogha, said the irate villagers were protesting NOSDRA’s nonchallant attitude in enforcing the November 2014 directive by the House of Representatives on SPDC to pay them $3.6 billion compensation.

NOSDRA officials, on reporting for work yesterday morning, met their offices barricaded by the protesters, who said they took the action after their last ultimatum to Shell expired on Wednesday.

Chief Itiemogha, flanked by the women leader, Mrs. Isibor Margareth, said the victims would take their protest to Shell offices in Warri and other parts of the Niger Delta soon.

He said: “The House of Representatives Committee on Environment on November 26, 2014, directed NOSDRA to liaise with SPDC to commence discussion within two weeks on the payment of $3.6 billion compensation to the victims.

“Shell refused to call a meeting for negotiation and we wrote several letters, which were not responded to.

“It now been two months since the directive by the House of Representatives and our last ultimatum to SPDC expired on Wednesday. We are tired of waiting for Shell to decide whether it wants to obey Nigerian law or not.”

An official of NOSDRA, who spoke to Vanguard, said: “We have appealed to them to exercise patience while their grievances are being looked into.

“We have reported their protest to our head office and we will follow up.”