Chevron alleges vandals tampered with its wells in Ondo
By Adewale Momoh, Akure
Chevron has confirmed that the oil wells razed in Ondo state belong to the company.
According the oil company in a statement issued on Thursday, it stated that third-party interference was suspected to have allegedly tempered with its facilities which is a joint venture with the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) in the Southern Senatorial District of Ondo state.
The inferno which is yet to be put off was reported to have spread to communities within the location of the oil wells.
The statement signed by the company’s General Manager, Policy Government and Public Affairs, Esimaje Brikinn, assured that efforts are on towards quenching the fire.
“Chevron Nigeria Limited, operator of the joint venture between it and the NNPC confirms that at about 10:00 pm on Thursday, April 18, a fire was observed at the Ojumole Well No. 1, an idle and plugged well with no flow line connected to it. Ojumole field is in NNPC/CNL Western Niger Delta area of operations.
“Chevron conducted an overflight to evaluate the fire and also mobilized emergency responders to assess the site, contain the fire and boom the area. In addition, Chevron notified community stakeholders about the incident and also reported it to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and other regulatory and security authorities.
“A joint investigation visit to the site of the incident on April 20, by a team made up of regulatory agencies, community stakeholders and Chevron determined that the fire incident was caused by third-party interference. There was no impact to any of the neighboring communities.
“Chevron is currently working with contractors to safely put out the fire as quickly as possible. Chevron remains committed to the safety of the communities and the environment in its areas of operation. We continue to conduct our operations safely, reliably and efficiently with utmost consideration for protection of people and the environment,” the statement stated.
