Tragedy as five people reportedly feared dead after cholera outbreak hit about 10 communities in Delta and Bayelsa states.
Leaders of the endangered communities believe that the deaths resulted from drinking polluted water and eating fishes which died from pollution.
Community leaders implored the Federal Government to look into the situation and sanction the polluters, and stop their hardship.
According to High Chief Augustine Seibi who led other leaders to a meeting at the weekend, “Some deaths have occurred in several communities because of this pollution.
In Sokoh, for example, we lost three persons (Johnson Pabebe, Adoere Epreyofie, and Pa Ogbuma Ingologolo).
Ekeremor Federated Communities also lost Ekerenwei Igenisuode and his wife, Yeikonne.
“They died of cholera, which resulted from the polluted water we drink and dead fish. That is why we need a cottage hospital and government’s intervention to allay the hunger and hardship facing us.”
Seibi said the communities had reasons to believe oil companies were responsible for the pollution.
“It is their explorative activities, as in most oil spills, that could contaminate the waters occasioning the death of fishes and other aquatic organisms.
These are further driven by the tidal flow deposited on the shores of communities and other uninhabited environments.”
