By Mandy Park
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, has raised the alarm over the risk of a major environmental and public safety disaster in Bille, an island community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, following another gas-related explosion in the area.
CAPPA urged the Rivers State Government and relevant regulatory authorities to urgently investigate the incident and address what it described as persistent gas bubbling and seepage in the community.
The latest explosion occurred at about 8am on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at No. 18, Opu Ibiila Community, Bille, barely two weeks after CAPPA released a documentary and report highlighting concerns over widespread gas bubbling and seepage in the area.
The explosion reportedly set part of a residential building ablaze, shattered the windows and left the occupant, identified as Joy Amos, with extensive burns.
CAPPA, in a statement issued on Saturday, said Amos required urgent specialist medical attention and called on the Rivers State Government to ensure that she receives immediate and adequate treatment.
The organisation also urged the government to bear all medical and rehabilitation expenses arising from the incident.
According to CAPPA, Amos said she had repeatedly heard bubbling sounds coming from beneath the floor of her apartment, particularly at night.
Recounting the incident, Amos reportedly said she was lying on her bed and using her phone when she suddenly heard a loud explosion.
She said the windows of the room shattered and fire engulfed the apartment, forcing her to flee.
According to her account, she escaped with her phone and power bank but dropped both items near the bathroom before running outside to raise the alarm and seek assistance.
The Vice-President of the Bille Kingdom Youth Federation, Timothy Agunbiade, who reportedly arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, corroborated Amos’s account.
Agunbiade said Amos’s phone, power bank and gas cylinder were not affected by the explosion, adding that the pattern of damage suggested that the force of the blast appeared to have travelled from inside the room outward.
He further disclosed that Amos had previously told him about the bubbling sounds she regularly heard in the room at night.
According to him, she had complained about the development to one or two people, although she did not report it to her landlady.
Meanwhile, Spaces for Change, S4C, has called for an independent investigation into the incident, particularly against the backdrop of longstanding complaints by residents about gas leakage and seepage in Bille.
The Executive Director of S4C, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, said an incident report reviewed by the organisation indicated that the explosion occurred inside a residential room where Amos was reportedly the only occupant.
Ibezim-Ohaeri said the immediate cause of the explosion should be established through a competent and independent technical investigation.
She, however, stressed that the incident must also be examined in the context of repeated reports by residents concerning gas odours, gas bubbling through waterways and the presence of gas around residential and other community spaces.
S4C warned that if the reports are confirmed, the situation could constitute a serious fire and explosion hazard and expose residents to broader environmental and public health risks.
The organisation also raised concerns over possible contamination of drinking-water sources, as well as potential threats to fisheries and livelihoods in Bille, where many residents depend heavily on fishing and other water-related economic activities.
CAPPA had previously drawn attention to the reported gas seepage and bubbling in Bille, raising concerns about the safety of residents and the possible environmental consequences if the situation remained unaddressed.
The latest incident has therefore renewed calls for relevant government agencies, environmental regulators and other stakeholders to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the community, identify the source of the reported gas emissions and take immediate steps to prevent further explosions.
Residents and community stakeholders are also expected to cooperate with any investigation that may be launched to establish the cause of the explosion and determine whether there are wider environmental or industrial factors contributing to the reported gas seepage.
For CAPPA and S4C, the Bille incident underscores the need for preventive action rather than waiting for another, potentially more devastating, explosion before decisive measures are taken.
