Activists Raise Alarm Over Oil Spills, Gas Explosions, Earth Tremors In Niger Delta

Environmental activists have raised the alarm over the increasing incidence of oil spills, gas explosions and unexplained earth tremors across the Niger Delta, accusing governments and the political class of paying insufficient attention to the environmental threats and their devastating effects on local communities.
The activists warned that unless urgent measures were taken to address the recurring incidents, more communities could face environmental degradation, destruction of livelihoods and threats to human lives.
Their concerns have been heightened by a fresh oil spill at Egweama on Cape Formosa Island in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, where crude oil reportedly spread across waterways last Sunday, crippling fishing activities and contaminating sources of drinking water.
Residents said the spill was first noticed by children before the rising tide swept thick crude oil into the community. According to one of the residents, Ms. Ebimiete David, community members struggled to scoop the oil into containers until about 3 a.m., when the receding tide carried much of it away, leaving behind tar deposits.
Chief Souyo Amasara-Inegite said the incident had effectively prevented residents from fishing, their major source of livelihood.
The Chairman of the Community Development Committee, Mr. Tonye Yemoleigha, said the community was uncertain about the source of the spill but cited unconfirmed allegations linking it to the activities of Aiteo Oil Company, whose vessels transport crude from Nembe Creek to the Atlantic.
He appealed to the Bayelsa State Government to intervene, ensure an investigation and compel the responsible operator to commence immediate cleanup and remediation. He also requested medical assistance and relief materials for affected residents.
The Environmental Conservation Agriculture and Rural Development (ECARD) described the incident as another example of the difficulties associated with offshore oil pollution, particularly the identification of responsible operators.
The organisation urged the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment to investigate the spill, using scientific methods, including crude oil fingerprinting, to establish its source.
The Egweama incident comes amid other environmental emergencies across the region.
At Azuzuama in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa, ECARD has raised concerns over an underwater hydrocarbon leak from an Oando six-inch pipeline, which reportedly began on June 25 and remained unrepaired as of September 24.
A Joint Investigation Visit report attributed the incident to equipment failure, identifying a suspected 11mm tear in the submerged pipeline. Divers reportedly confirmed the rupture, while ECARD alleged that the report contained discrepancies concerning the date of the incident.
The organisation said geotagged photographs and videos showed that the leak had continued despite repeated follow-ups, urging regulators to compel Oando to stop it and ensure proper environmental monitoring.
In another disturbing development, earth tremors were reported on October 8 in communities straddling Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa and Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Residents of Kalaba, Ikarama, Mbiama and Iluma reportedly experienced intense ground vibrations that shook buildings, displaced household items and caused panic, forcing some people to flee their homes and businesses.
ECARD, following a field investigation, said similar incidents had been recorded in the affected communities in June 2014 and July 2016. However, it cautioned against attributing the latest tremors to oil industry activities without scientific evidence, calling for an independent investigation to establish their cause.
The organisation’s concerns add to reports of recurring gas emergencies, including underground gas leaks in Bille, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, where escaping gas has reportedly caused several fires and one fatality.
Similarly, gas pipeline explosions at Aleto in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State have raised fresh concerns, with one incident occurring only weeks after another explosion in the vicinity.
Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, lamented that politicians seeking elective offices in the Niger Delta had failed to make environmental protection and remediation central to their political agenda.
He said decades of oil exploration had polluted waterways, destroyed farmlands, degraded mangrove ecosystems and undermined the livelihoods of communities across the region.
Bassey urged governments in the Niger Delta to prioritise environmental justice, community rights and accountability of oil companies, while calling on voters to demand clear environmental protection and remediation commitments from presidential and governorship candidates.
He cited persistent oil fires at Ororo-1 oil well in Ondo State, gas eruptions in Bille and a crude oil fire at Oil Well 9 in Okrika, Rivers State, as examples of environmental hazards requiring urgent attention.
He maintained that candidates who failed to mainstream environmental justice and remediation into their programmes should not receive electoral support.
“The Niger Delta does not need leaders who merely manage the consequences of injustice. It needs leaders who will work with communities to dismantle the conditions that produce it,” Bassey said.
ECARD’s Chief Operating Officer, Alagoa Morris, also lamented the plight of communities forced to contend with pollution they neither caused nor possessed the technical capacity to clean up safely.
He called for adequately funded regulatory institutions, independent environmental monitoring and stronger collaboration among relevant agencies, including NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy.
The activists stressed that environmental justice must go beyond investigations and public statements to include effective cleanup, ecosystem restoration, recovery of affected livelihoods and meaningful participation of communities in decisions concerning their environment.