By Stanley Onyeka, Lagos
Accountability watchdog, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on both the Federal and Ondo State governments to immediately intervene in the worsening environmental and humanitarian crisis in the Abereke community, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, due to oil spills and ocean surges.
CAPPA, in a statement following a field visit to the community, said these incidents have destroyed livelihoods and submerged large parts of the area.
Describing the situation as “devastating and fast deteriorating,” the group warned that residents are facing severe environmental degradation and growing economic hardship.
Associate Director at CAPPA, Martins Ogunlade, was quoted as saying: “Abereke is in the throes of a preventable disaster. What we saw is a community abandoned to the combined impacts of corporate irresponsibility and government inaction. This cannot continue.”
The statement informed that the latest oil spill affecting the area, allegedly linked to Guarantee Petroleum Company, an indigenous oil and gas operator, occurred last October, with the effects still devastating the community.
CAPPA’s assessment also revealed widespread oil contamination of water bodies, leading to the destruction of aquatic life and fishing tools – including fishing nets, boats, engines – as well as the death of domestic animals.
Fishing, the community’s main source of income, has been disrupted, leaving residents with little means of sustaining their families and pushing many households deeper into poverty.
The economic base of Abereke is being rapidly eroded. Families are struggling to fish and their animals, including goats, sheep and pigs, are dying. Even access to clean water now comes at a cost. This is a clear case of environmental injustice.
Additionally, the group also raised the alarm over worsening coastal erosion and tidal surges, which have submerged large portions of land and left the community without protection from further incursions.
“The economic base of Abereke is being rapidly eroded. Families are struggling to fish and their animals, including goats, sheep and pigs, are dying. Even access to clean water now comes at a cost. This is a clear case of environmental injustice,” Ogunlade said.
CAPPA further decried the collapse of critical infrastructure, including the community’s only primary school, which has been destroyed by tidal waves, cutting off access to education for children. The absence of healthcare facilities has also left residents vulnerable, with many forced to rely on local remedies.
The group noted that despite repeated appeals, with several letters and complaints made by the community to the Ondo State Government, Abereke has received little response from the authorities or oil companies operating in the area.
“Communities like Abereke continue to pay the price for extractive activities they do not benefit from. The silence and inaction of both government and corporations are unacceptable,” the statement said.
It also called for urgent measures, including a comprehensive environmental impact assessment, immediate clean-up of polluted sites, and the construction of coastal protection infrastructure to prevent further erosion.
Furthermore, it demanded compensation for affected residents and the restoration of livelihoods, alongside the rebuilding of critical infrastructure such as schools, adding that oil spillage remains a wider and persistent problem across the Ilaje area of Ondo State.
Community members have repeatedly accused oil companies, including Agip, Shell, Chevron, and Guarantee Petroleum Company, of contributing to the profound ecological damage in the region.
Ogunlade insisted that “Like many other suffering communities in Ondo state, the people of Abereke are demanding justice, not charity. Government must act now to protect lives, restore dignity, and hold polluters accountable.”
