Table 1 Oil spill incidences in Nigeria (1960–Present)
Year | Quantity of oil spilled (barrels) | Place/incident | Company | Impact and notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1970 | – | Bomu 11 Oil Well/Kegbara Dere-Bomu | Shell | It resulted in serious hydrocarbon fire and spillage of thousands of barrels of crude oil that negatively impacted tremendously on adjoining creeks and mangrove forests and rendered vast agricultural land barren to date | |
1978 | 300,000 | GOCON’s Escravos | – | It was one of the major spills in the coastal zone of Nigeria. It had untold devastation to plants, birds, fisheries resources, and ultimately livelihoods of the people | |
1978 | 580,000 | Forcados Terminal | Shell | One of the largest oil spills in Nigeria's history, impacted aquatic life, agriculture, and livelihoods of local communities | |
1980 | – | Oyakama | Shell | The spill contaminated farmland and a river, upending livelihoods in fishing and farming communities in part of the Niger Delta | |
1980 | 400,000 | Texaco Funiwa 5 | Texaco | It was another major spill in the coastal zone of Nigeria that had a negative impact on agriculture, and the livelihoods of local communities | |
1982 | 18,818 | Abudu | – | The oil spill incident resulted in environmental degradation, social annihilation, and economic impoverishment in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria | |
1984 | – | Ikata | Shell | A 50% reduction in fish abundance was reported | |
1993 | – | Oshika | – | This spill confirmed the death of floating and submerged aquatic vegetation, especially water lettuce, crabs, fish, and birds | |
1998 | 40,000 | Idoho | Mobil | The spill had a heavy impact on fishing communities and cooperatives in the region, leading to many being unable to fish as well as others losing occupational tools such as nets due to oil damage | Zabbey (2009) |
1998 | – | Jesse | NNPC | The Jesse pipeline explosion claimed the lives of over a thousand persons in Jesse, Ethiope West local government area of Delta State | Nnabuenyi (2012) |
2008–2009 | 560,000 | Bodo | Shell | It is one of the biggest spills in decades of oil exploration in Nigeria. As a fishing town, the livelihoods of the majority of Bodo’s inhabitants were destroyed. In 2015, after many years of battles with campaigners, Shell announced it would pay out $83.2 m in compensation for the spill | |
2009 | – | K. Dere | Shell | It is a region that has been affected by oil spills. Villagers argue that some spills are due to operational factors | |
2012 | – | Kegbara-Dere | Shell | The oil spills devastated the villager's farms, damaged their health, and left them with bleak prospects for the future | |
2013 | 6000 | Creeks and waterways of Bodo | Shell | The Ogoni people vowed not to allow oil exploration to resume in the area until conditions addressing the challenges of environmental pollution were met | Saint (2022) |
2023 | – | Eleme | Shell | The oil spill contaminated farmland and a river, upending livelihoods in fishing and farming communities | Reuters (2023) |