Civil society organisations have demanded urgent federal intervention over persistent gas bubbles in Bille Community, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, where residents report ongoing leaks from water bodies, the ground, and residential wells. The groups, including Social Action, Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, Chikoko Movement, Civil Rights Action, MiiDeekor, Health of Mother Earth (HOMEF), the IYC Eastern Zone, and Center for Gender Equity and Sustainable Development, conducted a tour of affected sites and held a town hall meeting titled People's Assembly Parliament. They cited grave health, environmental, and safety threats after gas was observed bubbling in multiple locations since late 2025, with fumes emerging from wells and cracks forming across the community. Investigations confirmed underground gas was escaping to the surface.
Isaac Osuoka, Executive Director of Social Action, accused the federal government and its agencies of failing to act despite the severity of the crisis. He stated that all groundwater in Bille had been "totally and completely polluted," destroying aquatic life and traditional livelihoods. Osuoka blamed President Bola Tinubu, who doubles as Minister of Petroleum, for not protecting the Niger Delta, noting the hydrocarbon eruption began in 2025 and had persisted for over six months without federal response. He alleged that NOSDRA falsified test results by claiming air quality in Bille was safe after conducting air, water, and soil tests. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) was also criticised for doing "nothing" to address the emergency. Osuoka said the Federal Ministry of Health, Ministry of Water Resources, and emergency agencies had failed to respond, calling the situation an outrage.
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara donated N100 million through a representative for a medical outreach, a move Osuoka acknowledged but described as inadequate. The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Chairman, Eastern Zone, Datolu Sukubo, said the federal government had not intervened since October 2025 and accused NNPCL and oil companies of evading responsibility. He warned that if a state of emergency was not declared, the government should "prepare to bring all their armies to come and shoot us at the platforms." Environmental activist Annkio Briggs said the crisis required decisive federal action. Chief Constance Meju, Executive Director of the Center for Gender Equity and Sustainable Development, linked the pollution to children drinking contaminated water, leading to diarrhea, skin rashes, and long-term health damage.
Isaac Osuoka claims NOSDRA declared Bille's air safe while residents live with gas bubbling from their wells and groundwater declared totally polluted. The federal agencies tasked with environmental and health oversight have either failed to act or provided findings that contradict the lived reality of Bille's people. President Tinubu holds both the presidency and the petroleum portfolio, yet over six months passed without emergency measures in a community facing potential combustion and widespread illness. A medical outreach funded by the Rivers State governor does not absolve the federal government of its duty to respond to a crisis it has effectively ignored.
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