By Joy Yesufu
The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has raised the alarm over alleged gas emissions, water contamination and deteriorating living conditions in Bille, an island community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.
CAPPA made the disclosure on Wednesday at the media presentation of its documentary and report titled “Bille Is Highly Flammable”, held at its headquarters in Abuja.
The organisation said residents had reported gas bubbling from wells, compounds, creeks, mangrove swamps and school grounds in the community since October 2025.
According to CAPPA, the situation has raised serious concerns over public health, environmental safety, livelihoods and education in the oil-producing community.
Speaking at the event, CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said the organisation’s field visit to Bille on July 6, 2026, revealed what he described as a community living under persistent fear.
“Imagine having to think twice before cooking or performing domestic activities in your own home because you do not know whether an invisible gas accumulating around you could ignite. That is the grim reality families in Bille now face,” he said.
Oluwafemi said residents reported skin rashes, persistent itching, respiratory problems, vomiting and other health complaints, while families dependent on fishing and other water-based livelihoods were increasingly struggling to survive.
He added that the community’s access to potable water had also been severely affected, forcing residents to depend heavily on sachet water for drinking, cooking and other domestic needs.
According to him, a bag of sachet water sells for as much as N1,000 in Bille, with some households reportedly requiring up to 10 bags daily.
CAPPA said its documentary was based on field investigations, community testimonies and available regulatory findings, adding that teams from the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Federal Ministry of Environment and Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources had inspected affected locations and collected soil, water and gas samples.
The organisation said authorities had reportedly detected elevated concentrations of methane, hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide in affected areas, as well as groundwater contamination and deteriorating air quality.
However, CAPPA called for the public release of the results of the investigations to enable residents understand the nature and severity of the risks they face.
The organisation also raised concerns over the adequacy of emergency interventions in the community, citing the provision of sachet water and a fire truck donated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
It alleged that the fire truck remained unused because there was no trained operator or emergency response crew assigned to it noting that the geography of Bille could make conventional emergency response difficult, as several parts of the settlement are accessible only through narrow pathways between houses.
CAPPA also called for sustained access to potable water, free medical screening and treatment, health surveillance, safe temporary learning facilities for affected schools and the establishment of an effective emergency-response and evacuation system.
It demanded compensation and livelihood support for affected households, including assistance to restore fishing and other livelihoods disrupted by the crisis.
The organisation further called for a coordinated action plan involving government agencies, regulators, operators, independent experts and the Bille community, with clear responsibilities, timelines, funding arrangements and reporting mechanisms.
“Bille deserves answers. That is why CAPPA is using this documentary not only to document the crisis, but also to stimulate action,” Oluwafemi said.
