Another gas-related explosion in Bille, an island community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, has prompted renewed calls for immediate government intervention to avert further incidents and possible loss of lives.
The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, says the explosion occurred around 8 a.m. on Thursday, September 3, at No. 18, Opu Ibiila Community, barely two weeks after the organisation raised concerns over increasing gas bubbling and seepage in the community.
CAPPA said the blast set part of a residential building on fire, shattered its windows and left the occupant, Joy Amos, with severe burns.
According to the organisation, Amos had previously heard bubbling sounds coming from beneath the floor of her apartment, particularly at night.
Recounting the incident, Amos said she was using her phone in her room when she heard a loud sound, followed by an explosion that shattered the windows and engulfed the room in flames.
The Vice President of the Bille Kingdom Youth Federation, Timothy Agunbiade, who arrived shortly after the incident, reportedly observed that the force of the blast appeared to have travelled from inside the room outward.
CAPPA said the incident reinforces its earlier warning that Bille is facing a growing environmental and public-health emergency.
The organisation had, during a July 6 visit to the community, documented gas emissions from wells, boreholes, residential areas, waterways and school grounds.
CAPPA Assistant Executive Director, Zikora Ibeh, criticised what she described as prolonged government inaction, saying communities in the Niger Delta should not bear the environmental and human costs of oil and gas extraction.
The group is now calling for the immediate suspension of oil and gas activities in and around Bille until the source of the gas emissions is identified and independent experts confirm that the community is safe.
It also wants emergency-response teams deployed, residents moved to safe temporary accommodation where necessary, and continuous monitoring of air and water quality across the community.
CAPPA further called on the Rivers State Government and relevant federal agencies, including NOSDRA, NUPRC, NMDPRA and the Federal Ministries of Environment and Petroleum Resources, to conduct a transparent and coordinated investigation.
The organisation wants all oil and gas infrastructure in the area—including active, ageing, idle and abandoned wells, pipelines and production facilities—assessed for safety.
It also demanded urgent medical intervention for the injured victim, including specialist burn treatment, as well as free diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for affected residents.
CAPPA further called for the provision of safe drinking water, compensation and livelihood support for households affected by the crisis.
The organisation warned that authorities must act immediately rather than wait for further injuries or deaths before responding to what it described as a potentially escalating disaster in Bille.