FG probes alleged land-grabbing by Agip, Shell

• Published On: 16 July 2024 at 19:40

The Federal Government has initiated an investigation into complaints filed by oil-producing communities in Bayelsa State about land grabs by foreign oil corporations such as the Nigerian Agip Oil Company and Shell Petroleum Development Company.

The investigative team, led by Kamoru Busari, Director of Upstream Department at the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, and officials from the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation, Nigerian Police, and Bayelsa State Government, went on a fact-finding mission to Biseni, Enebele, Ogbia, and Gbaran communities in Bayelsa State.

According to a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the investigation was initiated in response to a petition submitted by Agi Bestman, the Coordinator of the Niger Delta MOU/ Corporate Social Responsibilities, on behalf of the affected communities.

In the appeal, the communities accused the two oil companies, Agip and Shell, of taking land without proper recompense in the form of unpaid rental rent.

According to the statement, the specialists began the procedure by meeting with senior Bayelsa State Government officials, including the commissioner and permanent secretary in the State Ministry of Mineral Resources in Yenagoa, the state's capital.

The crew then visited Biseni Kingdom, Ogbia, Gbaran, and Enebele Community to have town-hall discussions with traditional rulers, landlords, and some indigenous people.


According to the petroleum ministry, the team examined oil facilities in Biseni Kingdom, including Agip's Idu Wells 1, 13, and 14, as well as SPDC's Adibawa Well 1 and Koroama Manifold, among others.

"During the interactive meetings, the chiefs and some landlords said that the oil firms took their family estates without providing proper compensation or rent.

"Some families claimed they were being underpaid, while others claimed they were not being paid at all," according to the ministry's statement.

Agip, in a letter to the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, requested a meeting with the petitioner and the parties he represents to settle their concerns.

Shell, in a communication with the committee's Chairman, Busari, promised to send an official request for rescheduling meetings with the committee due to the non-availability of the relevant top management officers who were hosting the Nigerian oil and gas conference in Abuja during the visit.