ABUJA | Media360Impact Report
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on the Federal and Rivers State governments to urgently intervene in Bille, an island community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, following another gas explosion that severely burned a resident.
The incident occurred at about 8 a.m. on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at No. 18, Opu Ibiila Community, Bille, according to CAPPA.
The organisation said the explosion was linked to gas leakage and occurred just two weeks after it presented its documentary and report, Danger! Bille Is Highly Flammable, which warned of growing gas bubbling and seepage across the community.
CAPPA said the latest blast set part of a residential building on fire, shattered its windows and left the occupant, identified as Joy Amos, with extensive burns.
According to the organisation, Amos was inside her room using her phone when she heard a loud explosion. She said the windows shattered and fire suddenly surrounded her, forcing her to flee the room.
“I was in my room on the bed, using my phone, when I heard ‘poof!’ My windows shattered, and fire surrounded me,” Amos recounted.
She said she escaped with her phone and power bank before running outside to seek help.
Timothy Agunbiade, Vice President of the Bille Kingdom Youth Federation, who arrived shortly after the incident, corroborated Amos’ account.
Agunbiade said Amos had previously complained about bubbling sounds coming from beneath the floor of her room at night.
He also said the floor of the room appeared to have been generating heat and showing signs of pressure from underneath before the explosion.
CAPPA said the incident highlights what it described as an escalating environmental and public safety emergency in Bille.
The organisation had previously raised concerns after a July 6 visit to the community, during which it documented gas emissions and bubbling from wells, boreholes, residential compounds, waterways and school grounds.
CAPPA’s Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, said the latest incident demonstrated that the situation could no longer be addressed through official visits and sample collection without decisive intervention.
“No industry should be permitted to transfer the human and environmental costs of its operations onto communities,” Ibeh said.
CAPPA has called for the immediate suspension of oil and gas activities in and around Bille until the source of the emissions is established and independent experts confirm that the community is safe.
The organisation also urged the authorities to deploy emergency-response teams, provide temporary accommodation for residents where necessary, continuously monitor air and water quality, and issue clear safety guidance to residents.
It called on the Rivers State Government, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources to launch a coordinated and transparent investigation.
CAPPA said the investigation 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.
It further urged authorities to isolate, repair or decommission unsafe infrastructure and publish investigation findings and test results.
The organisation also called for the situation to be treated as a public-health emergency, demanding specialist medical teams, emergency clinics, ambulance services, hospital referrals, free treatment and rehabilitation for affected residents.
Beyond medical care, CAPPA urged the government to provide safe water, compensation and livelihood support to households affected by the environmental crisis, particularly those whose fishing and other economic activities have been disrupted.
“The authorities were warned. A woman has now been severely burned, while the people of Bille remain exposed to potentially dangerous gases,” Ibeh said.
He urged the government to act before the situation results in fatalities.
CAPPA maintained that the latest explosion underscores the need for immediate, community-wide intervention to identify the source of the gas emissions and protect residents from further harm.
