Bille Gas Crisis: Stakeholders Demand Emergency Declaration, Evacuation Plan
Fear of a fire or explosion now hangs over residents of Bille community in Rivers State, where gas emissions reported since October 2025 are spreading to homes, schools, creeks and mangrove swamps.
Civil society groups and residents on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to declare an emergency over the escalating crisis and prepare an evacuation plan for the oil-producing island community.
The call was made in Abuja during the presentation of Bille Is Highly Flammable, a documentary and report by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA).
CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said a field visit on July 6, 2026, found residents reporting rashes, persistent itching, respiratory problems and vomiting, alongside polluted air, contaminated groundwater and damage to fishing livelihoods.
He said government agencies had visited affected areas and collected soil, water and gas samples, with reported findings indicating elevated concentrations of methane, hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide.
But Oluwafemi said emergency measures remained inadequate, noting that a fire truck donated to Bille was reportedly locked and unused because there was no trained operator or emergency crew.
Vice President of the Bille Kingdom Youth Federation, Timothy Agunbiade, said the situation was worsening, with gas activity appearing in areas previously unaffected.
“Bille is like a cage. First thing first, this thing has to stop,” he said, warning that ageing or abandoned oil and gas infrastructure could be responsible for the emissions.
Agunbiade also alleged that four major fires had occurred in the community, including a May 14 incident that nearly claimed four lives.
Founder and Team Lead of Miideekor Environment Development Initiative, Celestine Akpobvare, urged the government to declare a state of emergency in Bille and other affected parts of the Niger Delta.
He said residents should be evacuated if scientific assessments establish an imminent risk of explosion.
CAPPA called for the immediate release of environmental and health test results, an audit of oil and gas infrastructure, provision of potable water and healthcare, temporary learning facilities, livelihood support and a comprehensive emergency-response plan.
The organisation also urged the government and relevant agencies to involve Bille residents directly in investigations and decisions on the crisis.
Stakeholders said the unfolding situation requires urgent attention before the reported gas emissions develop into a larger environmental and humanitarian disaster.
