Youths from oil producing communities of Niger Delta region on Tuesday disrupted vehicular movements along the Bayelsa state axis of the East-West road following an allegation of diversion of $16 billion paid as compensation by American multinational oil company, Exxon Mobil, for a 1998 oil spill.

The action of the youths brought commercial activities and vehicular movement to a halt at the busy Mbiama market but combined security personnel from the Nigerian Army and the police dialogued with the aggrieved youths and quickly brought the situation under control.

The aggrieved people who claimed to be representing over 87 communities from Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Cross Rivers and Ondo cried that after 15 years of agitating for the payment of the compensation to the impacted communities, so persons have allegedly diverted the money.

The youth carried different placards  with inscriptions such as "Stop using our money to sponsors political parties", “Exxon Mobil: All we need is our money since 1998", "Exxon Mobil: Refuse to pay our money: face war".

In statement read on their behalf by Comrade Godwin Roberts (MOSEIND) and signed by Charles Opukiri (ISMOND), Elfreda Olungue (IYC) and Comrade Eddyo Engman they accused the Attorney that handled the case of secretly collecting the compensation and refusing to pay the impacted communities.

They also claimed that the accused Attorney is suspected to have diverted the compensation to personal use and sponsorship of some politicians.