The inhabitants of Odidi and Ikantu Federated Communities in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State have threatened to shut down the operations of Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited (HEOSL), operator of the Trans Forcados Pipeline (TFP) in OML 42 and OML 30, over its inability to cleanup the polluted area occasioned by months of incessant spill from oil infrastructures belonging to the company.

The threat was issued during a peaceful protest led by Odidi Executive Chairman, Comrade Truston Gbenekama, and Secretary, Chief Bene Mamamu, at the HEOSL operation site on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

Angry women could be seen in the protest site armed with placards bearing inscriptions such as "Heritage, Clean Up Our Environment", "Government Come to Our Aid", among others.

According to the protesters, the oil spill has deprived them from earning a livelihood through the occupation of fishing as well as it poses a threat to the health of dwellers, who constantly inhale the contaminated air circulating in the area. They also revealed that residents are afraid to cook after a similar incident ignited a fire outbreak that killed a woman and her children in 2015.

PENGlobal had earlier reported that oil spill was first observed on Friday, February 20, 2026, from the TFP under the operational sphere of HEOSL, followed by another spill less than three months later from its Kremor Manifold loading trunk, precisely on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Speaking to tbe media during the protest, Chief Mamamu lamented that the inaction of HEOSL to mobilise and cleanup the polluted sites has continued to worsen the state of suffering and poverty of the indigenes resident in the area.

He vowed that the protesters will not vacate the operation site of the company until the management of HEOSL yielded to heir demand to cleaning up the contaminated environment to guarantee the safety of lives in the area, health-wise.

The Odidi Secretary also accused the oil company of being insensitive by it donating little relief materials and also conniving with those he labelled as "accomplices" to continue their operations despite the danger it exposed residents of the community to.

"We are calling upon Heritage Energy to shut down their operations and to do proper cleanup before operation commence. We are also using this medium to call on the state government, the federal government, the local government, the operators (upstream and downstream), all operators and agencies to come to our aid," he appealed to the authorities.

One of the protester, Madam Evelyn Jackson, venting her rage said in Pidgin said, "Na this river we take dey survive. Now dem don pollute everywhere. So wetin we wan gain now?" she asked, and then added, "We nor know how to fry akara, we nor know how to do Kuli Kuli, we nor know how to roast corn. So make una come clean this river," she pleaded to HEOSL.

PENGlobal reports that crude oil residues could be seen floating on the water surface in the river. Protesters also demonstrated the impact of the spill by dipping leaves into the river, which came out with blackish stains from crude oil. Natives also lamented the destruction of their fishing implements like nets. The lands were not also spared from the ugly state of the pollution.

As tension continue to build in the area, HEOSL is yet to issue any statement in response to the peaceful protest as at the time of filing this report. However, protesters have vowed to carry on with the protest with further threat to storm the company's office in Warri to press home their demands.