The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has classified three oil and gas wells in the vicinity of the reported gas seepage locations in Bille Community, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, as “very high risk,” raising urgent safety concerns for nearby energy infrastructure and host residents as investigations continue to pinpoint the exact source of the emissions.
The classification follows a comprehensive technical screening of 28 oil and gas wells surrounding the affected riverine community. According to a press statement issued on Friday, November 13, 2026, by the NUPRC’s Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, the findings were unveiled during a special technical paper presentation hosted by the commission on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
The presentation took place at the 44th Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), held at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Delivering the NUPRC technical paper titled “Unravelling Gas Seepage and Bubbling in Nigeria: The Integrated Study Approach Towards Source Attribution”, the Commission’s Director of Subsurface Development, Engr. Joseph Ogunsola, who was represented at the session by the Senior Manager for Onshore Frontier Development Drilling, Mr. Azibamikiomam John-Adumo, detailed the outcome of the field inspections.
Of the 28 wells assessed across the highly explored hydrocarbon corridor; 3 wells were categorized as very high risk, 10 wells were categorized as high risk and 15 wells were categorized as medium to low risk.
During physical inspections of the facilities—located approximately 2.5 to 3 kilometres from the active bubbling zones—investigators observed active gas hissing from certain wellheads alongside visible signs of corrosion and vandalism on other installations.
Ogunsola noted through his representative that structural studies on one of the affected wells revealed it had originally been drilled in search of crude oil before being shut down after encountering gas instead.
The gas bubbling phenomenon in Bille Community was first observed by residents in October 2025, escalating safety fears after a community mono pump caught fire in March 2026 and preliminary regulatory assessments later confirmed contamination of the community’s first underground aquifer.
To definitively determine whether the emissions stem from legacy upstream infrastructure or natural subsurface migration, the NUPRC has escalated its inquiry to an independent gas fingerprinting exercise.
Utilising Gas Chromatography-Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (GC-IRMS) and compositional field analysis, the regulator expects laboratory results to establish the exact origin of the gas in the fourth quarter of 2026.
While emergency relief measures, including potable water supply, food items, medical outreach, safety kits, and stationed firefighting trucks, have been deployed to mitigate immediate threats to Bille residents, the NUPRC cautioned that complex remediation decisions lie ahead.
Ogunsola warned that if the forensic tests attribute the emissions to a natural geological source rather than an engineered wellbore failure, tracing underground migration pathways and designing subsurface containment will pose significant technical hurdles.
Under such a scenario, he noted, community evacuation could become necessary to protect residents from explosion and health hazards.
The commission reiterated its commitment to working alongside relevant federal, state, and industry stakeholders to conclude the investigation and implement lasting safety remedies for the Bille Kingdom.
