Mkpoikana Udoma
The latest incident occurred last week in Opu Dah Community, where leaking gas bubbling from the ground ignited on an abandoned mono pump head, according to residents of Billed Kingdom.
The development has heightened fears among residents and environmental advocates, who warn that the prolonged gas leaks pose an escalating threat to lives, livelihoods and the fragile riverine ecosystem.
Recall that since October 2025, SweetcrudeReports had reported sustained and unchecked gas emissions in Bille Kingdom, describing the area as a “keg of gunpowder waiting to explode.”
SweetCrude Reports also noted that the identity of the company responsible for the leaking gas facility remains unclear, despite repeated calls for regulatory clarification and intervention.
In March 2026, the Chief Executive of NUPRC, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, announced that an investigation had been launched into the incident, five months after the gas leaks were first reported in October 2025.
By April 2026, amid growing public concern, the Rivers State Government, through the Secretary to the State Government, visited the site and approved a N100 million emergency intervention for the affected community.
However, residents say the intervention has yet to translate into meaningful relief, as gas emissions and environmental risks persist across multiple points in the coastal community.
Describing the latest fire outbreak as confirmation of earlier warnings, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, YEAC-Nigeria, said the situation has now become a full-blown emergency requiring urgent federal action.
“Unfortunately, that warning has now materialized as the ‘keg of gunpowder’ has caught fire, putting lives, property, and the environment at immediate risk,” the group said in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface.
The organisation called on the Federal Government to immediately declare a state of emergency in Bille Kingdom to fast-track coordinated intervention and remove bureaucratic delays hindering response efforts.
“The scale and duration of the gas leaks require urgent executive action to protect residents and prevent possible loss of life,” YEAC stated.
It also demanded the temporary relocation of affected residents to safer locations, warning that continued exposure to toxic emissions could trigger more devastating fire outbreaks.
“The people of Bille should be temporarily relocated from the gas polluted areas immediately to prevent further inhaling of poisonous hydrocarbon-related chemicals,” the group added.
YEAC further urged maritime and emergency agencies, including the Nigerian Ports Authority, NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy, to deploy marine fire and emergency response teams to the riverine community.
It also called on the Federal Government, Rivers State Government, New Cross Exploration and Production Limited and other operators in the area to urgently secure abandoned facilities and halt ongoing gas leaks.
The group insisted that the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, must immediately provide relief materials to affected households, noting that the situation has already displaced normal livelihoods.
YEAC-Nigeria pledged to continue monitoring developments, warning that it would hold all responsible institutions accountable until the safety of residents and restoration of the environment are guaranteed.
This article was originally posted at sweetcrudereports.com
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