Tension flared at Ntamoku Ayambo Pipeline Estate in Bonny, Rivers State, on Friday as residents chased away representatives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Limited) and its subsidiary, NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL), over what they described as a violation of a subsisting court order.
The incident followed an ex parte order issued on February 13, 2026, by Justice Rita Oguguo of the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, in Suit No.: BYHC/17/CS/2026. The court restrained Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, NNPC Exploration and Production Company Limited (NEPL), WAGL Energy Limited and Kristal Polis Limited from carrying out further activities in the disputed area pending the determination of the suit.
The order was granted after submissions by Chief Eugene Odey, counsel to the residents of Ntamoku Ayambo Pipeline Estate, who are claimants in the matter. The court specifically halted alleged demolition activities within the estate.
However, residents alleged that officials of NNPC Limited and its partners, led by the company’s Community Liaison Officer (CLO), Romeo Waribo, visited the area on Friday to inspect the extent of earlier demolitions. The move was widely interpreted by locals as a disregard for judicial authority.
Eyewitnesses said the officials hurriedly left the community after residents mobilised to confront them.
“When they came, we mobilised our people to confront them, but by the time we got there, they had fled. Why are they running away?” a resident, who identified himself simply as Francis, queried.
Another resident, Fubby, described the visit as an affront to the court, stressing that the matter was sub judice and that all parties were expected to maintain the status quo.
“It is surprising that a company established by law would act in a lawless manner,” he said, warning that any attempt to dispossess residents of their properties would be resisted.
The residents further declared that land grabbing through intimidation would not succeed in the community, alleging that certain individuals were attempting to undermine collective interests.
In what appeared to be an averted confrontation, the company representatives reportedly drove off in a white Toyota Hummer bus and two Toyota Hilux vans as residents gathered at the scene.
Efforts to reach the Chairman of Ntamoku Ayambo Pipeline Estate for comment were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
The Atlantic Bell reports that this development adds a new twist to the simmering dispute, with residents insisting that the rule of law must prevail while the court determines the substantive issues before it.
