By Michael Omotosho |
Another gas explosion has occurred in Bille, an island community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, leaving a resident severely burned and prompting fresh calls for urgent government intervention.
In a statement signed by Robert Egbe, Media and Communications Officer of the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), the organisation said the explosion occurred at about 8 a.m. on Thursday, September 3, at No. 18, Opu Ibiila Community, Bille.
CAPPA said the blast set part of the house on fire, shattered its windows and left the occupant, Joy Amos, with extensive burns.
The incident comes just two weeks after CAPPA released its documentary and report, Danger! Bille Is Highly Flammable, in which it warned of worsening gas bubbling and seepage across the community.
Woman recalls explosion inside apartment
Amos said she had repeatedly heard bubbling sounds coming from beneath the floor of her apartment at night before the explosion.
According to her, she was lying on her bed and using her phone when she suddenly heard a loud sound.
“I was in my room on the bed, using my phone, when I heard ‘poof!’ My windows shattered, and fire surrounded me,” Amos said.
She said she grabbed her phone and power bank and ran out of the room, adding that she had to flee without clothes as she called for help.
“I dropped them in front of my bathroom, ran outside and began to call for help,” she said.
Timothy Agunbiade, Vice President of the Bille Kingdom Youth Federation, who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, said Amos’ account was consistent with what he observed.
He said the phone, power bank and gas cylinder in the room were not affected by the explosion, suggesting that the force of the blast may have come from beneath the room.
Heat and pressure reported beneath floor
Agunbiade said Amos told him she had been hearing bubbling sounds in the room whenever the surroundings became quiet at night.
“She had been hearing bubbling sounds in her room at night whenever she lay down and everywhere else was quiet,” he said.
He added that the floor of the room had been generating heat before the explosion and appeared to be under pressure from beneath.
CAPPA said the latest incident had reinforced concerns raised during its visit to Bille on July 6, when its team documented gas emissions from wells, boreholes, residential compounds, waterways and school grounds.
The organisation said the latest explosion showed that the situation could no longer be addressed through official visits and sample collection without decisive action.
CAPPA demands emergency response
CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, said the incident highlighted the risks faced by communities living around oil and gas activities in the Niger Delta.
“No industry should be permitted to transfer the human and environmental costs of its operations onto communities,” Ibeh said.
She said whatever the outcome of investigations into the source of the emissions, the failure to adequately protect residents after months of warnings was unacceptable.
CAPPA is calling for the suspension of oil and gas activities in and around Bille until the cause of the gas bubbling and seepage is established and independent experts confirm that the community is safe.
The group also called for emergency response teams to be deployed to Bille, residents to be moved to safe temporary accommodation where necessary, and continuous monitoring of air and water quality.
Calls for investigation of oil and gas facilities
CAPPA urged the Rivers State Government, NOSDRA, NUPRC, NMDPRA, the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, alongside independent experts, to conduct a transparent and coordinated investigation.
The investigation, it said, should determine the source of the emissions and assess oil and gas infrastructure in and around Bille, including active, ageing, idle and abandoned wells, wellheads, pipelines and production facilities.
The organisation also wants unsafe infrastructure to be isolated, resolved or decommissioned without delay.
It further demanded that authorities publish test results and investigative findings, explain the risks to residents and provide a clear timeline for bringing the situation under control.
Group seeks medical care, compensation
CAPPA also described the situation as a public-health emergency, calling for specialised medical teams to attend to residents affected by toxic exposure, respiratory problems and burns.
It demanded emergency clinics, ambulance and hospital referral services, as well as free diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for affected residents.
Beyond healthcare, the group called for safe water, compensation and livelihood support for households whose fishing and other sources of income have been disrupted by the situation.
“The authorities were warned. A woman has now been severely burned, while the people of Bille remain exposed to potentially dangerous gases,” Ibeh said.
She called on the government to move residents away from danger, provide immediate medical care, identify the source of the emissions and publicly account for its response.
“The people of Bille have carried this burden long enough. Government cannot wait for deaths before acting,” Ibeh said.
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