By Chigozie Igbo Jr Residents of Ogwu Ikpele, a riverine community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, on Friday and Saturday, January 16 and 17, 2026, staged a mass protest against Sterling Petroleum Energy Exploration Company (SPEECO) over what they described as a decade of neglect, unfulfilled agreements, and environmental degradation. Ogwu Ikpele, situated along the River Niger and surrounded by rich wetlands, has lived with seasonal flooding for years. However, community leaders say the presence of SPEECO, which has explored oil in the area for the past ten years, has brought more hardship than relief. The protest coincided with activities marking SPEECO’s 10th anniversary. Hundreds of youths, women, children, and elderly residents took to the streets, barricading access routes to oil facilities, shutting down drilling operations, and cutting off electricity supply to the rigs. Community sources claimed the shutdown resulted in losses est...