Declare state of emergency in Bille gas leak that has exploded in fire – YEAC-Nigeria

For over a month, gas has been leaking and seeping out in many sports in Bille, a community in Degema local council of Rivers State. Gov Sim Fubara released N100m to the community, and silence greeted the situation ever since.

Now, fire has erupted in the community at gas leak points, causing panic and danger. Groups that seem to have grown weary of calling for attention have now called for state of emergency in Bille.

An environment and security concerned group, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), which said it has confirmed that a fire incident has occurred in Bille, says the gas leak has spent months unchecked.

YEAC-Nigeria, led by Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, the Executive Director, called the situation a keg of gun-power that has exploded at last.

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The group which targets one million volunteers as members in the Gulf of Guinea, has made the following demands, urging the government to declare a State of Emergency on the situation in the Bille. “The scale and duration of the gas leaks require urgent executive action to protect residents and prevent possible loss of life. Hence, the need for the declaration of emergency by the Federal Government to suspend extant laws that may delay actions to address the situation in Bille Kingdom.”

YEAC also demanded for temporary relocation of residents from the gas polluted areas immediately. “This should be done after the emergency declaration to prevent further inhaling of gas and poisonous hydrocarbon-related chemicals by the residents, as well as possible impending larger fire incidents triggered by cooking and other domestic activities that could consume the entire kingdom and its people if immediate action is further delayed.

“If the people of Finima in Bonny local government area could be involuntarily and permanently relocated in 1991 from their ancestral home (“Old Finima”) to pave the way for the construction of the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) plant, the temporary relocation of the people of Bille to pave the way to stop the gas leaks, fumigate the area and make it habitable for their safe return should not be difficult for the government and responsible oil companies to do in 2026.”

The demands included the deployment of Marine fire service teams and tugboats, saying: “There is the need for the government to urgently deploy and station marine fire service units and patrol tugboats from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Navy firefighting unit in Bille town and its environs to respond to any further fire outbreaks and mitigate disaster in this riverine community while steps are taken to stop the leaking and bubbling of gas in the area.”

YEAC-Nigeria demanded for immediate action from Government and oil operators, urging the Federal Government, Rivers State Government, New Cross, and all other oil companies operating in Bille to treat this situation as an emergency and take concrete steps to stop the gas leaks, secure abandoned facilities, and prevent recurrence of not just the gas leakages but the reported fire incident.

The group called for relief response from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), saying, the Agency did not need to be told or reminded that the ongoing disaster in Bille required its attention. “The agency should urgently rise to the occasion and distribute relief materials to affected households in Bille to cushion the impact of the ongoing disaster.”

YEAC-Nigeria recalled that on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, the Centre received a report from the community that the gas leaking and bubbling from the ground in and around Opu Dah Community in Bille caught fire on an abandoned mono pump head.

YEAC-Nigeria said it has repeatedly warned in previous press statements and media advocacy actions that Bille was sitting on a keg of gun-power because of the hazards. “Unfortunately, that warning has now materialized as the ‘keg of gunpowder’ has caught fire, putting lives, property, and the environment at immediate risk.”

YEAC-Nigeria said it will continue to monitor the situation and hold all responsible parties accountable until the safety of Bille residents and the environment was guaranteed for human habitation.