Metro
Bayelsa Communities Panic Over Shell’s Alleged Gas Flare Plan

Residents of Gbarantoru and neighbouring communities in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have raised the alarm over alleged preparations to flare noxious gas again by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, a field report by the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria has said.
Investigation showed that in October 2009, SPDC ignited a gas flare furnace at midnight that woke the people to an environment polluted by noise and noxious gas emitted into the atmosphere.
According to the report released on Monday and signed by the field monitors of ERA/FoEN, Alagoa Morris and Akpotu Ziworitin, “a towering oil well drilling rig” has already been raised by Shell with a possibility that it could “set up the gas flare stack, and flare gas…”
The report said, “Incidentally, Shell would flare horizontally, at ground level. Considering the proximity to the community and living homes, the leadership of Gbarantoru and Ekpetiama kingdom is very much concerned about the health implications on inhabitants, even as the community has witnessed expansion.”
A resident of the community, Kembia Paul, said the impending igniting of the gas flare furnace “is not good for human health,” adding that expectedly the gas flare furnace would be ignited at midnight any day soon.
READ ALSO: Minister Meets Bayelsa Monarchs In moves To Tackle Oil Theft
She said, “Even this one (the raised rig), it was (done) in the night; we just woke up and saw that they had done it (raised the rig). So, definitely igniting of the gas flare furnace is expected in the night. Since it is not good for human health (children are here), if there is anything they can do to help, we are interested because of our health.”
The report also quoted the Chairman of the Progressive Forum of Gbarantoru, Dakolo Ineikade, as recalling that the last time Shell flared gas, “it affected our crops, buildings, and we couldn’t sleep. The same thing is about to happen.”
Ineikade advised the oil firm to move the activity elsewhere because the inhabitants of the area would not accept the hazardous effects of the noxious emission.
“This gas flare that is about to occur here, I, a former youth leader and other concerned members of the community, have taken it upon ourselves that we will stand and make sure the gas flare won’t take place. SPDC should take it elsewhere…we are the immediate impacted community,” he said.
Also speaking, the monarch of Ekpetiama Kingdom, King Bubaraye Dakolo, described the activity as an aggression against the community people and indeed the Ijaw nation in general.
READ ALSO: Spill: Odimodi Community Decries Abandonment Of Broken Valve By Shell
“From all indications, as they are drilling currently, definitely it will get to a point where they will flare gas.
“Flaring means putting those nuzzles into my nostrils and pumping me with those noxious chemicals. And, even if I can stand it, how many persons in the community would be able to stand it? So, definitely, people would die and you won’t even know that it is caused by poison from Shell. I don’t really blame Shell. Why would the Nigerian state, with all the NUPRC, and all the regulators just sit there, and people will come and kill people? So, what is your job as a regulator?”
When contacted, the Media Relations Manager, SPDC, Mr Michael Adande, said he would make contacts and get back to our correspondent but had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.
Recall that Ijaw nation stakeholders under the auspices of the Ijaw National Congress had, at the weekend, demanded that divesting International Oil Companies should clean up the polluted sites around the environments of their host communities in Ijaw land before pulling out of the Niger Delta.
They made their position known in a communique after a one-day dialogue organised by the INC at its national headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, with the theme, ‘The imperative for paradigm shift’. The forum was presided over by the President of INC, Prof Benjamin Okaba.
READ ALSO: FG’ll Approve Shell’s $2.4bn Asset Sale – Minister
The PUNCH reports that oil giant, Shell, announced on January 15, 2024, that it had agreed to sell its Nigerian onshore oil assets to Renaissance, a consortium of four Nigerian companies and one foreign firm for $2.4bn.
Shell, which had been operating in Nigeria for over 60 years, in a statement by its London office, said with the deal, its onshore subsidiary, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, would now be operated by ND Western, Aradel Energy, First E&P, Waltersmith, and Petrolin, a Swiss company.
The oil major, however, stated that the completion of the deal was still subject to approval by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
On Thursday last week, the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, said it was not opposed to Shell’s sale of oil assets.
A statement signed by Nneamaka Okafor, the Special Adviser on Media and Communication to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, affirmed the government’s commitment to providing the enabling business-friendly environment in the country’s oil and gas industry.
Metro
Lagos NURTW Boss Reacts To Alleged Threat To Voters As DSS Grilled Him Over Viral Video

The Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in Lagos, Mustapha Sego, has confirmed that he was invited by the Department of State Services, DSS, over allegations of incitement following a viral video in which he made controversial remarks about the 2027 elections.
In the video, Sego, while addressing union members, had warned that “what happened in 2023 will not be allowed to repeat itself in 2027,” adding in Yoruba that “anybody who makes any mistakes in 2027 will be dealt with” and that the All Progressives Congress, APC, was the party voters must support.
His comments sparked public outrage, with many interpreting them as threats aimed at voters ahead of the next general election.
However, in a follow-up disclaimer video, the NURTW boss denied threatening voters, insisting that his remarks were misrepresented and taken out of context.
READ ALSO:Court Remands NURTW Official In Correctional Centre Over Tricyclist’s Death
He confirmed that the DSS invited him earlier in the day to clarify the allegations, which he described as “false and baseless.”
“I have always been a man of peace, and my messages are directed only to our members. Everyone has the right to associate freely and choose their affiliations, and I fully respect that,” he said.
Sego alleged that the controversy was being fueled by rival groups seeking to destabilize his leadership in the state.
“There is always an enemy in every job, and we know where this is coming from. This is clearly an attempt to destabilize me and the NURTW in Lagos State,” he stated.
Metro
Lagos Man Shot Dead After Fight In Nightclub

There was panic on Friday after a man, identified simply as Alex, was shot by suspected gunmen at Iyana Isashi in the Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State.
It was learnt that the incident occurred at about 8 pm.
A resident in the community who requested not to be mentioned due to the nature of the incident had told The PUNCH that the deceased was on his way to meet a friend when two men on a bike accosted him.
One of them was, however, said to have pulled out a gun in the process and shot him at close range.
READ ALSO:Lagos Opens Portal For Teaching Job Applications
The source said, “Alex stays at Cele Niza here in Iyana Isashi. He had just come back from his place of work when he stepped out again, probably to meet a friend. He was on his way when some men on a bike stopped him on the way and shot him. It was the sound of the gunshot that attracted people around, who rushed to the spot and found him lying in a pool of blood. The gunmen were also seen trying to escape from the area while still on the bike.”
According to the source, Alex was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was being attended to.
Giving an update on the incident on Wednesday, the source confirmed to that the victim succumbed to the gunshot injuries earlier in the day.
“We lost him this morning. He had been in a coma since that Friday, and doctors tried all they could to save him, but he did not make it,” the source disclosed.
READ ALSO:
Meanwhile, the victim, otherwise known as Fleximore, was said to have had an altercation with some strangers at a nightclub in the community a day before the incident happened.
Another resident who identified himself simply as Quadri and made this known to The PUNCH on Wednesday said, “Some of his friends who went to a club in the area with him said he had a serious fight with some guys there. They said it started with an argument that later resulted in a confrontation.
“Although they tried to settle it but that is very unusual of him. You hardly hear anything of such about him. Alex is an easy-going person and does not make trouble, but we don’t know the kind of person he had issues with at the nightclub, and that is why some people said the attack was most likely a result of what happened at the club.”
According to Quadri, arrangements are ongoing to bury the late Alex.
READ ALSO:
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said she was not aware of the incident.
“I am not aware of the incident, but I will call the DPO in the area to confirm,” she said.
Communities in the Iba Local Government Area and adjoining communities along the Lagos–Badagry Expressway have, over the months, witnessed a series of cult-related attacks. The resident had also called for the intervention of the police authorities.
Metro
Gunmen Invade Ex-Ogun LG Chairman’s Residence

An armed gang on Thursday morning invaded the residence of former Ijebu-Ode Local Government Chairman, Alhaji Emilola Gazal, carting away valuables, cash, and his vehicle.
Gazal, who is also the publisher of The Roots Magazine, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview.
“The three armed men broke into my residence at Ijebu-Ode GRA at about 2 a.m. They collected all the cash with me after which they forced me to open my bank apps on my phone and transfer everything there to an account they provided. They left only N5,000 in my account.
READ ALSO:Police Foil Robbery On Sagamu-Benin Expressway, Recover Stolen Tricycle In Ogun
“They also made away with my wife’s trinkets and with my ash-colour car. They actually told me they would be going away with my car. I am just going to report the incident to the police at Igbeba and Obalende, Ijebu-Ode”, Gazal told our correspondent.
According to The PUNCH, that this incident comes amid a spate of violent robberies and home invasions reported across Ogun State, particularly in the Ijebu area.
For example, earlier this year, the Ogun State Police Command killed a suspected armed robber in a gun duel along the Sagamu–Ijebu Ode Expressway.
READ ALSO:Police Foil Robbery On Sagamu-Benin Expressway, Recover Stolen Tricycle In Ogun
The command, on September 12, 2025, also recently arrested a man linked to a burglary and armed robbery in Ayetoro, amounting to about N1.5 million in stolen goods.
Meanwhile, the regional security network, Amotekun Corps, has in past operations engaged criminal gangs in shootouts, neutralising suspects in Ogun’s border zones.
Details later…
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