The Federal Government has stepped up its humanitarian response to the prolonged gas seepage in Bille Community, Rivers State, with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) mobilising major oil industry groups for a six-day medical outreach that reached 5,250 residents.
The latest intervention, involving the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG) and Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), comes against the backdrop of continuing investigations into the source of the gas seepage and growing concerns over its implications for public health and the environment.
The NUPRC-led intervention also represents an expansion of the Federal Government’s earlier emergency response, which included the delivery of relief materials to affected residents in July.
The Commission said the humanitarian measures were being pursued alongside, rather than as a substitute for, the technical investigation required to determine the source of the gas and develop a permanent solution.
The gas seepage in Bille, a riverine community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, has attracted national attention since reports of methane bubbling from parts of the community and surrounding waterways emerged.
According to Amnesty International, methane had been bubbling in rivers and swamps around Bille since October 2025, with some drinking wells affected and schoolchildren moved to another community for safety. The organisation has urged authorities to expedite investigations and make their findings public.
The NUPRC formally announced in March that it had activated a coordinated technical investigation into the incident, describing the seepage as an unusual gas-bubbling occurrence. The Commission said it was working with relevant industry experts to determine its cause.
The Federal Government subsequently intensified its response. During a July 1 visit to Bille led by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Senator Ekperikpe Ekpo, the NUPRC and oil industry operators delivered relief materials and pledged additional support, including potable water, medical outreach, medical consumables, firefighting equipment and electricity support.
NUPRC Chief Executive, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, had during the visit assured residents that the Commission would not abandon them, stressing that efforts to identify the source of the seepage would be based on scientific investigation.
The Commission said preliminary investigations had already been conducted but that the situation was being managed cautiously to avoid creating additional hazards. It also disclosed that an international firm had been engaged to undertake further studies.
SOURCE: Independent