Ecocide feared in Bille gas leaks as scientists find carcinogens, other deadly gases in Rivers community

Ecocide is now feared in a community in Rivers state where gas leaks have persisted since October 2025. Now, Scientists have found heavy presence of methane gas, formalin, formaldehyde, hydrogen sulphide, sulfur oxide, carcinogens, and carbon dioxide said to be deadly to human organs.

These were found as the experts began testing water and air as part of their efforts in the Bille gas seepage crisis which began since October 2025.

The environmental scientists who went to Bille in Degema LGA of the state began testing to ascertain the types and grades of gases that have been leaking for about a year now.

Continuous seepage of methane and other gases had sparked a severe health and environmental emergency in the area. The situation escalated further in May 2026, when leaking gas ignited and erupted into fire at multiple spots, including an abandoned water mono pump.

Now, environmental and medical experts have urged the Rivers State Government to evacuate the residents and stop the leakage in the polluted Bille community said to be saturated with different gases.

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Courage Nsirimovu, a lawyer and environmental rights advocate who is the coordinator of PILEX Centre for ‘Civic Education Initiative’ led experts and media people on a physical inspection in Bille town.

Courage, who was accompanied by a team of scientific researchers said the visit was necessitated by the need for the scientists to make all of the attribution concerning what is happening to people attending to gas spillage in the Bille area.

Tests and inspections conducted in various compounds revealed the presence of gas leaks and gas bubbling sound. Also a sample of sparkling colourless water turned into black after 15 seconds, indicating and confirming high intensity of gas leaks in Bille community.

Nsirimovu recalled with nostalgia the experience of their first visit, and the subsequent rallies done to that effect, all to inform and persuade the Government to evacuate the people, and mitigate the gas leakage but to no avail.

He expressed regrets that the gas leaks matter has lingered up to alleged gas explosion at a location known as Joy Amos.

He said: “What prompted us to come is the fact that we had been here before. We told the Government that the incident in the community is an ecocide, and if nothing is done about it, it could lead to strategic genocide. People may begin to die.

“There is bio accumulation of this gas in the body of people. There is the fact that if people eat fishes in Bille community, they are ingesting the same methane or benzene. It is a form of carbon dioxide. It is dangerous to the body.

The PILEX Centre boss regretted the whole scenario and demanded full compensation for the victims of the incident and remediation of the environment.

In his submission, Eferegbo Fortune Uchenna, the environmental scientist gave his opinion on field observations which he said indicated possible gas seepage from the subsurface. He said this was characterised by continuous bubbling and audible emissions from the ground.

These, according to him, include methane gas, formalin, formaldehyde hydrogen sulphide, sulfur oxide, carcinogenic (which is cancerous) and carbon dioxide which are unhealthy to human organs.

Uchenna added: “Such toxins when inhaled for a long period could be bad for people whose immunity are already compromised especially the elderly and the little children whose lungs are not properly developed.”

He confirmed that the water in the area is polluted. “The people are drinking poison from the sample of the sparkling colourless water suddenly turning to black. This is ecocide that is strategically leading to genocide.”

He joined in calling for a state of emergency in Bille, saying; “This community is not a place where human beings should stay, even animals. If they come here and drink this water, they will die!”

He said the only solution at this point is to plug or stop the leakage. “For Bille people, they should be evacuated from this environment. That is the only way.”

The scientist has carried out many tasks including the assessment of the activities of Indorama fertilizer Company Ltd on human health and the environment 2026; investigation of the activities of oil companies on coastal communities in Ilaje local government Area of Ondo State 2025; and the environmental and socioeconomic assessment in Ibaa community in Emohua LGA of Rivers State 2023.

Earlier in his welcome address, Timothy Agunbade, the executive vice president of the Bille kingdom Youth Federation, lamented the current situation of the community. He said people in the community were experiencing signs consistent with a potentially contaminated and hazardous environment, including reported gas seepage, petroleum-like substances in ground water. According to him, this has affected social life and financial viability of the people in the community.

Also, educational growth progress of children in the community has been affected because of the gas bubbling in the school environment, which is up to 360 degrees spreading for hours in the community.

The only hotel, which was a recreational centre in the Bille community, has been abandoned.

Residents told newsmen thus: “This building has more than 30 rooms. If you came here before now, you’ll hear music and people enjoying themselves. The place is deserted now. This is what we are living with everyday.”

He called upon Nigerians to come to their aid by raising their voices for action to be taken to rescue the Bille people of Rivers State. “We want visits but we want it to translate to meaningful actions.”

There are reasons why most activists believe that genocide may have been initiated. When leaders fail to save lives or deliberately initiate deaths of a large population of people, it may be regarded as genocide.

The Bille gas leak first began in October 2025 when residents and fishermen in the area reported toxic gas bubbling to the surface in nearby rivers, swamps, and drinking wells.

The continuous seepage of methane and other gases sparked a severe health and environmental emergency in the area. The situation escalated further in May 2026, when leaking gas ignited and erupted into fire at multiple spots, including an abandoned water mono pump.

Gov Sim Fubara approved the ₦100 million relief fund for the Bille community on April 1, 2026. The intervention was announced by Dagogo Wokoma, the Secretary to the State Government during an on-the-spot assessment of the community. The funds were provided as immediate palliative support to mitigate the impacts of persistent gas emissions and seepages that had been affecting the community’s land and water sources.

As inaction continued for months, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) announced that a fire incident occurred in Bille.

On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, the Centre said it 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 had repeatedly warned in previous press statements and media advocacy that Bille was sitting on a keg of gunpowder because of these 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 led by Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface demanded for declaration of state of emergency in Bille, saying the scale and duration of the gas leaks required urgent executive action to protect residents and prevent possible loss of life.

Other demands included temporarily relocating the residents, saying 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. Fumigation should also be carried out.

YEAC also called for the deployment of marine fire service teams and tugboats, saying there was 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 and its environs to respond to any further fire outbreaks.

They also called on 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.

There was the call for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to act fast and urgently rise to the occasion and distribute relief materials to affected households in Bille to cushion the impact of the ongoing disaster.

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

In June 2026, Gov Fubara pledged swift action to tackle the gas leakage and environmental pollution in Bille. Fubara gave the assurance while addressing a group of peaceful protesters who were at Government House in Port Harcourt to draw government’s attention to the plight of the Bille people and other oil and gas bearing communities across the Niger Delta.