Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa has called for the immediate suspension of oil and gas activities in and around Bille Kingdom, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, until the source of the reported gas emissions in the community is established and the area declared safe.
CAPPA made the demand following the death of 29-year-old Joy Amos, a Bille resident who sustained severe burns in a gas explosion inside her room on September 3 and later died in Port Harcourt on September 22.
The organisation said the continuing gas emissions posed serious risks to residents and warranted a coordinated emergency response by government agencies and other relevant stakeholders.
CAPPA said authorities should not allow oil and gas activities to continue in areas affected by the unexplained emissions until independent experts establish the source of the gas and determine the level of danger posed to residents.
The organisation said investigations and field observations had documented gas emissions from wells, boreholes, residential compounds, waterways and school grounds in Bille.
It added that government investigations had reportedly detected elevated levels of methane, hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide, alongside groundwater contamination and poor air quality.
CAPPA expressed concern that nearly one year after residents first raised the alarm over the emissions, the source of the gas had yet to be conclusively established.
It said the uncertainty surrounding the source should prompt an urgent investigation and precautionary measures rather than continued exposure of residents to potential hazards.
The organisation also raised concerns over reports that some residents had begun collecting the emerging gas for use in powering generators, while others were reportedly digging around their homes in search of gas outlets for domestic energy purposes.
CAPPA warned that such activities could expose residents to explosions, poisoning and other hazards, particularly because the composition and source of the gas had not been conclusively established.
The group said the development also highlighted the energy challenges facing communities in the Niger Delta, where residents of oil-producing areas continued to struggle with access to reliable electricity and affordable domestic energy.
CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, said the death of Amos should serve as a warning to authorities that the situation required urgent intervention.
“Joy Amos did not have to die. Her death followed months of warnings, confirmed environmental hazards and repeated appeals for government intervention. Yet Bille still has no comprehensive emergency plan, no publicly identified coordinating authority and no clear timetable for containing the emissions,” Ibeh said.
CAPPA called on the Federal Government, Rivers State Government, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Federal Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Emergency Management Agency and other relevant agencies to establish a coordinated emergency response.
It urged the authorities to deploy independent experts in environmental science, medicine, public health and emergency safety to investigate the situation and conduct comprehensive hazard mapping across affected communities.
The organisation also called for continuous testing of the air, water and soil in Bille, as well as a system for documenting reported fires, explosions, illnesses and injuries.
CAPPA further demanded the provision of alternative electricity and cooking energy for affected households, particularly if residents were required to stop collecting or using the emerging gas.
The organisation said Bille residents should be directly involved in investigations, emergency measures and any subsequent remediation programme.
It also called for compensation for affected residents and legal accountability once the source of the emissions or leakage is established.
CAPPA said its previous warning in its documentary and report, Danger! Bille Is Highly Flammable, was intended to draw attention to the potential consequences of failing to address the situation.
“We would love to be proved wrong, but the reality is that human beings are living amid uncontrolled and deadly gas emissions. Nigeria is on the verge of a major national disaster, and Ms. Amos’s tragic death may only be the beginning of how much worse the situation could become if the authorities fail to act decisively,” Ibeh said.
