A recently detected oil spill from the Kremor Manifold loading trunk, one of the Trans Forcados pipeline that is allegedly belonging to and managed by Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited (HEOSL) in OML 30, has heightened fears of threat to lives among inhabitants of Odidi Federated Community in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.

The massive oil spill was reported by an anonymous witness who made a short video of the oil spill, supposedly on Friday, May 1, 2026.

In the video clip, oil-like substance the witness described as "crude oil" could be seen floating on the surface of the river with the anonymous reporter lamenting the risk of fire incident due to the smell of gas that has filtered into the atmosphere.

In the video, the anonymous reporter could be heard saying, in Pidgin, "I nor know why dem nor fit tell Heritage make dem stop the operation first so dat dey can put the pipe in order. The thing don get worse. Even we wey dey here, our lives are at risk." 

Reacting to the development, a youth leader in Odidi community, Amb. Truston Gbenekama, said the looming dangers of the reported oil spill development brings back memories of a 2015 incident that is still very fresh in the minds of Odidi inhabitants where a mother and her children were burnt to death as a result of massive oil spill in the area.

Gbenekama who frowned at what he called an "ugly development" has once again shown the revealed the focus of commercial profit over the lives of not only inhabitants, but the pollution of the environment.

He further stated that at a time when Niger Deltans are calling on the federal government and other stakeholders for the remediation of the environment, a massive spill as currently reported in the Odidi area is still taking place.

The youth leader called on HEOSL to immediately halt operation of the facility and on the relevant government agencies such as the Natiional Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to swing into action to assess the damage done.

He also called on Heritage Energy to urgently provide relief materials to the inhabitants in the affected area and to ensure such incident is not repeated in the interest of the people whose livelihoods are now at stake.

He also called on the state government to rise to securing the lives of Deltans by ensuring that oil companies operate in line with global operational standards, as the safety of the lives of Deltans are more important than crude oil.

#penglobalcommunity #Heritage #Odidi #Delta