CSOs ask Tinubu to declare emergency in Bille over gas eruption, 11 deaths

A coalition of civil society organisations has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a national environmental and public health emergency in Bille, a community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, where gas has reportedly been seeping from the ground and water for about a year.

The group, under the banner of The People's Assembly and the Bille Working Group, made the call at a press conference in Port Harcourt on Thursday. It said the eruptions have been linked to 11 deaths and that residents are falling ill.

According to the coalition, gas has been bubbling from creeks, boreholes, hand-dug wells, school grounds and residential compounds since around October 2025. It said the crisis has caused repeated fires and explosions, while some residents have suffered vomiting and difficulty breathing.

Dr Emem Okon, executive director of the Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre and co-convener of the Assembly, said the situation is a looming humanitarian disaster. She said families can no longer cook safely, drink their water or rely on fishing for a living.

"This is a national emergency that cannot wait," Okon said.

The coalition said independent monitoring found unsafe levels of methane, hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide in the community, raising fears about what long exposure means for residents' health.

What the groups want

In an open letter to the President, the Senate President, the Ministers of Health and Environment and the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the groups asked for a presidential task force to investigate and resolve the crisis.

They want residents moved temporarily to safer places, with shelters, clean drinking water, food and healthcare provided until the area is confirmed safe. They also want emergency funding for the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) and the regional Spill Command Centre activated.

The coalition said NOSDRA and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission have visited the area, but the source of the gas is still unknown. It said NOSDRA acknowledged funding constraints at a meeting with its Director-General, Chief Chukwuemeka Woke, on October 17, 2026.

It demanded that preliminary soil and water test results be published so residents know what is in their environment. It also called for fingerprinting technology to trace the gas, an audit of oil facilities in Oil Mining Leases 18 and 24, and a temporary halt to oil and gas operations in the affected areas.

Dr Edegbuo of The People's Assembly said the Federal Government should move beyond investigations, warning the situation could become a national security emergency. He said fixing Bille could also guide responses in Uzere, Alakiri, Rumuekpe and Aleto.

Kentebe Ebiaridor of Oilwatch International called for stronger accountability, arguing that current and former operators of the two leases should be held jointly liable and residents compensated. The coalition did not name the operators.

The groups also launched a "No Clean-Up, No Vote" campaign across the Niger Delta, saying they will back parties and candidates with credible, funded and time-bound plans to clean up polluted communities.