The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has ordered Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited, HEOSL, operator of Oil Mining Lease 30, to immediately halt the ongoing discharge of crude oil and gas from Well 14 in Uzere Kingdom, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, and commence remediation of the affected environment.
Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed made the orders on Monday, August 17, 2026, in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/132/2026, following an application brought by HRM Udogri Isaac I, Chairman of the Uzere Traditional Council, on behalf of the people of Uzere Kingdom.
The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, was joined as the second respondent in the proceedings.
The court directed HEOSL, NOSDRA, their agents, officers, privies, proxies and any other persons or authorities acting on their behalf to stop, abate or halt the continuing crude oil and gas spillage from Uzere Oil Well 14 pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
“An Order is hereby made compelling the Defendants/Respondents, their agents, officers, privies, proxies and any other person or authority acting on their behalf to stop/abate and/or halt the ongoing crude oil and gas spillage at Uzere Oil Well 14 in Oil Mining Leases 30, operated by the 1st Defendant/Respondent in Uzere Kingdom, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice,” the court ordered.
Justice Mohammed also directed the respondents to mobilise resources to clean up the impacted area and protect the surrounding environment while the substantive application remains pending.
“An order is hereby made compelling the Defendants/Respondents to mobilise resources to clean up the impacted site and protect the environment pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice,” the order stated.
Counsel representing both HEOSL and NOSDRA confirmed that they had been served with the application and informed the court that they were not opposing the reliefs sought.
O.O. Jarikre, counsel for HEOSL, told the court that his client was served on August 12 and had filed a memorandum of conditional appearance. He nevertheless confirmed that the company had no objection to the application.
S. Akomaye, appearing for NOSDRA, similarly confirmed service and informed the court that the agency was not opposing the reliefs.
Counsel for the plaintiff, N.O. Akporuvweku, informed the court that an earlier order had been made requiring the respondents to show cause and that the order had been duly served.
Akporuvweku further told the court that the parties had agreed to extend the period within which the respondents would be required to demonstrate compliance from seven days, as originally sought, to 14 days.
The court accepted the amendment.
“However, prayer 3 of the application is hereby granted to read 14 days instead of the 7 days sought in the application,” Justice Mohammed ruled.
The court consequently directed HEOSL and NOSDRA to file an interim report detailing the steps taken to comply with the orders to stop the discharge and begin environmental remediation.
“An Order is hereby made directing the Defendants/Respondents to submit and/or file an interim report of compliance with the orders contained in Reliefs 1 and 2 in the Registry of this Court within Fourteen (14) days of the service of the orders of this Court on them,” the court ordered.
High Chief Odio Lucky represented the plaintiff during the proceedings.
The order was issued under the seal of the Federal High Court and signed by Registrar M.S. Hassan.
The litigation followed a blowout at Well 14 on June 26, 2026, which has reportedly continued to release crude oil, gas and other petroleum substances into the surrounding environment.
Residents of Uzere have complained about the environmental and economic consequences of the incident, particularly its impact on farmlands, water bodies and livelihoods.
Oil exploration in Uzere dates back to 1957, shortly after the discovery of commercial quantities of crude oil at Oloibiri in 1956.
The community currently hosts the Uzere West and Uzere East oil fields, alongside several oil wells and associated infrastructure, including flow stations, pipelines, manifolds and platforms.
The court intervention follows earlier efforts by community and Petroleum Industry Act representatives to compel the operator to contain the spill and provide a permanent solution.
In July, the Chairman of the OML 30 Petroleum Industry Act Board, Henry Ojogho, issued HEOSL a 72-hour ultimatum to produce a comprehensive action plan explaining how it intended to contain the crude oil and gas discharge and permanently resolve the situation at Well-Head 14 in Uzere Cluster 09.
The directive followed an inspection and environmental assessment conducted by the OML 30 PIA Board in collaboration with community stakeholders.
The spill was reported to have affected farmlands and water bodies and threatened the livelihoods of residents of Uzere Community.
During an inspection of the affected location, more than 25 trucks were reportedly stationed at the site as the company intensified efforts to recover spilled crude oil and contain the discharge.
The delegation was received by Sylvester Ifode of HEOSL’s Community Relations Department.
Addressing company officials and community representatives during the visit, Ojogho said host communities remained prepared to support legitimate oil and gas operations but maintained that such activities must not endanger lives, livelihoods or the environment.
“We are giving Heritage Operational Energy Limited 72 hours to present a clear and workable plan for permanently containing this crude oil and gas spill. Oil production must not come at the expense of the lives, health and wellbeing of our people,” Ojogho said.
He also called on the Delta State Government and relevant regulatory agencies to treat the situation as an environmental emergency.
“Heritage must immediately intensify containment and remediation efforts in line with the Petroleum Industry Act, environmental regulations and internationally accepted industry standards,” he added.
A representative of HEOSL had disclosed during the earlier intervention that foreign technical experts were on their way to Nigeria to assist with containment and remediation.
The company’s representative also assured residents that HEOSL would continue monitoring the situation and working towards a permanent solution.
The Federal High Court’s latest orders now place immediate judicial obligations on HEOSL and NOSDRA to halt the continuing discharge, mobilise resources for cleanup and environmental protection, and report back to the court within 14 days of service on the measures taken to comply.
