The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited to pay the sum of N82 billion judgement debt owed some oil communities in Akwa Ibom State.
The communities in the Ibeno Local Government Area of the state led by Obong Effiong Archianga and nine others filed a suit against the NNPC and Mobil through their lawyer, Lucius Nwosu (SAN).
They sought, in their original suit, about N100 billion compensation for economic losses they had suffered as a result of the oil spillages caused by the two oil giants during exploration.
The trial Judge, Justice Taiwo Taiwo had, in a judgement in June 2021, ordered Mobil and NNPC to pay the Akwa Ibom oil communities cumulative damages of N81.9 billion over oil spillage that ruined their economic lives.
“The companies during exploration had been using decrepit pipelines underwater and caused multiple spills. They were asked to recompense,” Nwosu told newsmen shortly after the Monday proceedings.
While ruling on garnishee proceedings initiated by the affected communities, yesterday, Justice Taiwo dismissed all the objections raised by the two oil firms and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) against making the garnishee order absolute.
More to come…