Federal Government Investigates Gas Seepage in Rivers Community

The federal government is investigating reports of gas bubbling in the waterways and mangrove swamps of the Bille community located in the Degema local government area of Rivers State, as announced on Monday by government officials.

Ekperikpe Ekpo, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), confirmed that regulatory bodies have undertaken field assessments to identify the source and characteristics of the disturbances reported along the Oil Mining Lease 18 corridor.

Residents of Bille have been observing unusual bubbling in the adjacent water bodies since October 2025, which led to a joint investigation launched by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency in December.

According to a statement from the minister's spokesperson, Louis Ibah, the government took responsive measures after receiving notifications from the community and initiated a coordinated investigation involving relevant regulatory agencies and oil and gas operators operating in the OML 18 region.

"Two joint investigation visits have already taken place in the affected areas," the statement indicated.

"During these inspections, essential samples were gathered and sent for laboratory evaluation."

Preliminary findings suggest that there is no direct connection between the gas bubbling and issues such as oil pollution, pipeline leaks, or any operational failures related to oil and gas infrastructure in the vicinity.

The minister mentioned that final laboratory results will be awaited to provide clear and definitive scientific clarification.

Furthermore, he stated that the federal government has instructed the involved regulators to enhance their technical investigations, conduct more site inspections, and ensure ongoing monitoring of the affected regions.

"The Commission, in close collaboration with operators in the region, remains firmly dedicated to determining the precise source of the gas seepage and taking necessary corrective measures once the investigations are concluded," the statement elaborated.