THE BROOKS BELL REPORT
Another consultancy firm hired to do a review of the FUGRO report Brooks Bell of Walker house Exchange flags Liverpool L2 3YL UK concludes as follows:-
The closest matches to the Bonga crude reference oil sample included many of the samples making up the “B” samples which were taken at the Nigerian coast after the point in time when the Shell group say they had completed the clean-up of Bonga oil.
Thus, if the Shell group post impact Assessment report (PIA) were correct in that regard, the oil present in the B samples could not have been Bonga oil but would have had to have come from a distinct spill of other oil.
That wasn’t the case-the B sample match Bonga oil. Thus, the Bonga oil spill had not all been dispersed/cleaned-up prior to 24th December and some of that oil did reach the coast. Matches for Bonga were also found in other samples taken from a river and from clean-up operation.
We cannot say whether there was indeed a spillage of other oil on 24th December as Shell group suggest in their PIA, there may have been. However, the FUGRO analysis indicates that oil matching the Bonga crude was found on the coastline and during the clean-up. It would appear that the Bonga spill was at least partly responsible for some oil found in land/Coastal areas. Given the geographically wide spread of matches for Bonga oil on the Nigerian coastline, and the trajectory followed by the Bonga spill prior to 24 December, we see no reason in the evidence we have reviewed to propose the existence of a secondary unrelated spillage.
HOW THE SHELL GROUP CONCEALED THE FUGRO REPORT
Having been in possession of the FUGRO report since 22nd February 2012, in its usual characteristic manner the Shell group fully aware that the report was not in its favour deliberately concealed the report from all Nigerian regulatory authorities and the federal government of Nigeria.
This concealment was intentional to avoid liability for ongoing aggravated damages since 2011 to over 480 communities, over 200,000 individuals and the Nigerian exclusive economic zone negatively impacted by the Bonga spill of Dec.20th 2011.
THE SHELL GROUP POST IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT(PIA)
Precisely in January 2014 over two years after the Bonga spill incident the Shell group released its post impact Assessment report as directed by the Department of Petroleum resources(DPR). Unsurprisingly the Shell group proceeded to manipulate its PIA report to suit its concocted mystery spill to avoid liability.
This series is from the stable of the oil spills victims vanguard a non- governmental organisation(NGO) incorporated with the corporate affairs commission, OSPIVV is an initiative whose main object is dedicated to fight for compensation for victims of oil spills, health hazards of gas flaring, transparency and accountability in the Extractive industries in Nigeria.
HARRISON JALLA
Executive Director OSPIVV