The Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) has shut oil production from an oilfield at Agga community over pipeline leakage to forestall further damage to the environment.

A response statement by a spokesman of Eni, Italian parent company of NAOC who preferred her name not to be mention due to official requirement, confirmed the incident in an email on Thursday.

The spokesperson said: “NAOC got a report of a leakage from a well flow line on October 14, 2019, in the southern part of Aggah territory, in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.

“The leakage was primarily bubbling of gas and sheens of condensate. Following the report of the event, NAOC deployed containment booms around the leak spot and shut-in the well to stop the leak.

“Statutory notification was issued to DPR [Department of Petroleum Resources], NOSDRA [National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency] and the Rivers State Ministry of Environment for Joint Investigation Visit before effecting the repair,” Eni stated.

Meanwhile, NOSDRA said it was investigating the cause of a damaged pipeline and possible volume of leaked oil that had polluted communities in Rivers.

The resulting oil spill from the leak has allegedly polluted Aggah community. A NOSDRA official who confirmed the development, said NAOC had reported the oil spill to the agency, adding that the area had been cordoned off to prevent further spread.

The Port Harcourt Zonal Director of NOSDRA, Mr. Cyrus Nkangwu, said that the oil spill agency had deployed its personnel to the spill site.

“A Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) team is currently at the scene of the incident, and would find out the cause of the leak and estimated volume of crude discharged into the environment,” Nkangwu said.

The leak is coming barely a month after fire broke out from NAOC’s field in nearby Ubeta community, Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers.

NAOC had attributed the fire incident to the activities of oil thieves at the field.