By Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa
Twenty nine communities in Bayelsa State have approached the Federal High Court, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, to reverse the licence renewal fee for OML 29 to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) while there is a pending case.
Leading five others before justice Abimbola Awogboro, Mr Iniruo Willls, counsel to the plaintiffs, insisted that the defendants erred when they made a payment of $82million to the DPR for the renewal of the OML 29 licence when all issues surrounding the facility had not been resolved.
The respondents in the case include the Attorney-General of the Federation, Minister of Petroleum Resources, Federal Ministry of Environment, Shell Petroleum, Attorney-General of Bayelsa State and the Deeds Registrar, Bayelsa Ministry of Lands and AITEO.
The lawyer told justice Awognoro, that though there was an ongoing out-of-court settlement process in place, the defendants had not reached out to his…
