The community of Egebekiri in Bayelsa State in April protested alleged neglect by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), a subsidiary of Italian company, Eni. Community members protested at Agip’s Obama Flow Station, disrupting production. Chief Karibi MacDonald, an Egebekiri Community leader, said during the protest that Agip had yet to pay the community any form of royalty since it started oil exploration in the community over 40 years ago. Chief MacDonald said that the community was tired of writing fruitless letters to the company. He said that a Supreme Court judgment of July 13, 2007, confirmed the community as the legal owner of the land hosting the oilfield. He alleged that NAOC continued to give the community’s benefits to some persons in neighbouring communities, at the expense of the actual host community.

In response to the protests and allegations, Eni said “A family from Egebekiri community affirmed being the owner of an area where, in the past, NAOC had stipulated agreements with a different family.  A meeting with the community was held and it was decided to include the new family among the stakeholders”