Key oil fields in Bayelsa State will be shut down in 14 days, local communities have warned.
They are objecting to a security company supported by the community being removed from guarding oil sites.
KEFFES, the impacted communities, are requesting that NNPC Exploration & Production Limited (NEPL) change its mind about terminating a contract with Multiplan Nigeria Limited, a security firm they endorse. Additionally, they demand that the three community security vessels at oil mining leases (OMLs) 86 and 88 stay in their current positions. Tours of Nigerian culture
Koluama 1 & 2, Ezetu 1 & 2, Foropa, Fish Town, Ekeni, and Sangana are eight oil-producing villages in Brass and Southern Ijaw Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State that are represented by KEFFES.
The conflict began in 2007 when Chevron Nigeria Limited implemented security vessel contracts to guard the region and lessen threats. Following Chevron’s departure in 2021, Pennington Production Limited, a division of NNPC, consented to carry on the contracts, including those for security services. Tours of Nigerian culture
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The communities assert, however, that NEPL recently fired Multiplan Nigeria Limited and gave a security vessel contract to a business with no local connections. As per the communities, this move damages their economy and breaches previous agreements.
“These contracts directly affect our livelihoods and security,” the communities stated in a letter dated March 28, 2025. In addition to breaking our agreement, this unilateral action to remove us jeopardizes the tenuous peace we have upheld over the years.
The inhabitants have listed three main demands: quick negotiations with NEPL, reimbursement of unpaid security costs from 2024, and the immediate reinstatement of all three security vessels. They said they would stop producing oil in the region if their demands were not fulfilled.
