Over 5,000 children, 3,000 women and more than 1,000 aged persons will be rendered homeless as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL) through its contractors, WAGL Energy Limited and Kristal Poliz Limited goes aggressive in executing its Bonny Oloma Righty of Way Demolition Project in Bonny, Rivers State.
A save our souls (SOS) message on Wednesday, February 11, 2026 by residents of the area around the right of way in Ayambo Community in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State made exclusively available to Kristina Reports disclosed that the project has rendered more than 5,000 children homeless since it started.
The statement reads in part:
“We, the residents of Shell Pipeline area in Ayambo Community, are calling on relevant stakeholders including the United Nations, African Union, Amnesty International, National Human Rights Commission, the federal, state and local governments to intervene in the ongoing demolition exercise that has rendered us homeless and destitute.
“The contractor, Kristal Poliz Limited, which is acting on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Engineering and Procurement Limited (NEPL) is demanding to encroach on our properties as far as approximately 50 meters far beyond the statutory right of way thus requiring the demolition of our residences, destruction of our farmlands and economic trees and causing us undue hardship.
“We are not opposed to the development and progress of Bonny Kingdom but we seek due process to be followed which includes consultation, negotiation and fair compensation for any losses we shall incur in the course of this right of way recovery exercise which will enable us relocate and rebuild our lives.
“We were not consulted or negotiated with and worse still we were tricked into signing funds that they later turned around to claim were compensation for our lands and properties. When we demanded to read the 10-page document they were compelling us to sign, they shouted at us and demanded we sign or lose our lands. We were forced to sign the document for peace to reign only for them to now be using it to claim we signed and received compensations.
“Many of us have lived here all our lives for years, and this is the only home we know thus displacing us from our agelong habitats would be not only detrimental to our social lives but destruction of our emotional wellbeing and those of our children.
“Among the displaced vulnerable populations that this exercise is already affecting are over 5,000 children, 3,000 women and about 1,000 old people not to talk of the men. So, far, properties worth over N2 billion not to talk of businesses and other means of livelihoods have been lost to this exercise.
“We are afraid that should no intervention come in this matter, it could degenerate into a security crisis as a hungry is an angry man and displaced destitutes cannot but seek alternative means of survival some of which may not be wholesome.
“We, therefore, passionately appeal for all to come to our aid and save us from this ugly situation.”
Trouble started in the pipeline area of Ayambo Community days ago when Kristal Poliz Limited moved in equipment and started demolishing properties around the Bonny Oloma Right of Way.
Early morning on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, residents marched out in their numbers to protest the loss of their homes to the demolition project with some claiming that the current exercise was a second one with the first having cleared the statutory 10 meters from the right of way indicators.
“We do not have a problem with the 10 meters that they asked us to move away from earlier but coming back and not even asking us to move out but demolishing our properties without any provision for relocation and encroaching as much 25 meters, in some cases almost 50 meters, is unbearable”, one of the residents who preferred anonymity lamented.
Worse still, one of the residents told Kristina Reports that the Police in Bonny were deployed to the area to intimidate the residents, threatening to conduct a mass arrest on Friday, February 13, 2026 if they find them there.
Attempts by Kristina Reports to crosscheck this claim with the Nigeria Police Force was yet unsuccessful as at the time of this report.
A development expert, who spoke on condition of anonymity, queried the non-adherence to global best practices in displacement of residents of an area, wondering what the desperation of NNPCL and its contractor was about.
“There are established protocols for displacing even people who are defaulting on a right of way. Why the companies involved are not adhering to those is what beats my imagination.”
“Nobody has heard of any consultation, meetings or townhall with the people affected. The issue is gradually gravitating towards human rights abuse, population displacement and oppression, especially, when you hear of police and military deployments to intimidate the people. I think it’s time they step back on this action.”
NNPC Limited, NEPL and Kristal Poliz Limited have, so far, kept mute and unresponsive to enquiries on the matter from Kristina Reports.