The House of Representatives has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to pay the sum of ₦32.15 billion as compensation to 5,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Ilorin, Kwara State, for losses suffered due to unlawful demolition, displacement, and land acquisition.
Chairman of the House Committee on Public Petitions, Hon. Kwamoti Bitrus La’ori, disclosed this while briefing journalists at the National Assembly on Thursday. He explained that the resolution of the 10th House reaffirms and adopts the earlier recommendation of the 8th Assembly on the matter.
According to the report presented by La’ori, the House approved a petition filed by Ajets Surveys on behalf of the affected residents against NNPCL concerning land acquisition, demolition, and forced eviction. The affected areas include Judges’ Quarters, F Division, Tanke Tipper Garage, Pipeline, Babaode, and Oshin in Ilorin.
The resolution directed NNPCL to effect the payment within 60 days.
In a related decision, the House also adopted the Committee’s report on a petition against Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (now Seplat Energy) and directed the company to pay ₦72.624 billion as compensation to victims in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State for environmental damage caused by oil spills linked to its operations.
The compensation, the House stated, should be paid in installments as mutually agreed by the affected parties.
The Committee’s findings were based on valuation assessments by Messrs Soni Udoma and Partners, Ebito and Company, and Uduak Jeremiah Consult, which confirmed multiple oil spills between 2003 and 2012.
Similarly, the House upheld the Committee’s recommendation on a petition by Award Winning Consult Limited on behalf of Mr. Asedere Othuke Edwin against British Oil and Gas Exploration Production Company over the alleged unlawful termination of employment. The company was ordered to pay ₦100 million as compensation and damages without further delay.
In another resolution, the House adopted the report on the petition by Tepng/Aks Main Community (MUO) on behalf of paramount rulers, youths, and women of Ikot Abasi, Ibeno, and Mbo Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State against TotalEnergies Nigeria Limited and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for their non-inclusion in the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) as mandated by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
The House directed TotalEnergies and NUPRC to immediately include the affected communities as beneficiaries of the existing HCDT and to pay accrued compensation covering the period from 2022 to 2025, representing the years of exclusion.
The House also adopted the Committee’s recommendation on the petition by Mr. Dogo Isaac Imooje against the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) for wrongful dismissal from service. It directed the NIS and the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board (CDFIPB) to pay all outstanding salaries, entitlements, and arrears owed to the petitioner from February 2013 to September 2018.
Speaking on the series of resolutions, Hon. La’ori reaffirmed the Committee’s commitment to fairness, justice, and timely consideration of all petitions referred to it, stressing that the House remains a platform where the grievances of ordinary citizens can find redress.
> “The Committee will continue to uphold fairness, transparency, and accountability in addressing the concerns of Nigerians. Every citizen deserves justice, and this House remains committed to ensuring that justice is not delayed or denied,” he said.
La’ori commended the leadership of the 10th House of Representatives under Speaker Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen GCON for providing strong and people-centered legislative direction, describing it as “a true People’s Parliament” that gives voice to the marginalized and holds institutions accountable.
> “The 10th House has shown through its actions that it stands with the people — defending their rights, protecting their interests, and ensuring that justice prevails,” La’ori added.
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