A branch oil pipeline in the Niger Delta ruptured due to corrosion, causing a spill in which large quantities of crude oil flowed through irrigation canals into the Niger River estuary and offshore waters, forming an oil slick approximately 8 kilometers long. The contaminated waters are the primary fishing grounds for local small-scale fishermen. The oil spill has caused massive fish kills, and the remaining seafood is unfit for consumption or sale due to contamination, leaving nearly 1,000 fishermen without a direct source of income. The spill has also damaged the ecological balance of the estuary’s mangrove wetlands, threatening the survival of numerous endangered aquatic species.
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