Akwa Ibom Communities Raise Alarm Over Decades Old Abandoned Oil Wells

Posted by Chinenye on Fri 11th Sep, 2026 - tori.ng

Residents of oil producing communities in Akwa Ibom are demanding urgent action over abandoned oil facilities they say have become a serious threat to their lives and environment.

(Abandoned Oil Well With Visible Spill. Photo by Premuim Times)

Communities living on oil-bearing land in Akwa Ibom State have demanded urgent action on abandoned oil wells and old petroleum equipment that have been left to decay for decades.

Residents say the neglected facilities have poisoned their environment, destroyed their farms and made their water unsafe.

They gathered on Wednesday to share their stories and ask the government to assess these abandoned wells, clean up the damage and protect their communities from further harm.

Environmental groups across the Niger Delta have been making similar calls for months now.

They describe abandoned oil wells as ticking time bombs because they keep leaking pollution even after drilling has stopped.

Some wells have been capped since the 1950s but have never been properly decommissioned or the land restored.

During the meeting, residents showed evidence of the problems.

One community pointed to a capped well that's been sitting there since 1958.

They can see oil around the wellhead and hear faint sounds coming from it.

Another farmer said his swampy land where an oil well was abandoned has been hit by oil spills for over 50 years.

He's complained to the oil companies and government agencies repeatedly since 2002 but nothing has been done.

The pollution isn't the only problem. Communities report that illegal oil theft operations happen around these abandoned facilities.

Armed groups move into the areas and shoot into the air, scaring residents.

Young people in the communities sometimes get pressured to help with these illegal activities because the abandoned wells bring them no benefit anyway.

An environmental group documented three capped oil wells in one area, an old pipeline covered in vegetation in a swamp, and other neglected installations.

They're now working with communities to develop action plans to present to government agencies, hoping to finally get real action on cleaning up and protecting these areas.