The last Christmas season brought no joy to the communities of Bukuma and its neighbors in the Degema and Asari Toru Local Government Areas of Rivers State, Nigeria. Instead of celebration, residents faced fear and displacement as a devastating oil and gas blowout at the Buguma Field 008 wellhead, aptly nicknamed the “Christmas Tree,” unleashed a torrent of environmental destruction.
For over a month, the wellhead spewed crude oil and gas into the New Calabar River and surrounding land, saturating the air with a choking stench. Weeks later, the wellhead ignited, engulfing the oil-soaked waters and spreading flames through the surrounding forests and farmlands. Driven by harmattan winds, the fire consumed over a thousand hectares of vegetation, farmsteads, and fishing settlements.
Even after the initial blaze subsided, the wellhead continued to burn, emitting thick carbon monoxide smoke and a deafening roar that could be heard for miles. The New Calabar River and its tributaries were transformed into a black, sticky mess, littered with dead fish. Abandoned, burnt boats lay at the base of the wellhead, a testament to the disaster’s impact. While no human fatalities were officially reported, the long-term health consequences of the pollution remained unknown.
Fishermen returned with ruined nets and oil-soaked boats, their livelihoods destroyed. The stench of dead fish and hydrocarbons drove residents from their homes. A few desperate individuals were seen harvesting what little cassava remained on their oil-soaked farms. The once-busy New Calabar River was eerily quiet, save for the presence of military personnel, Tantita Security Company Limited, and two houseboats belonging to an oil servicing company.
destroyed forest
Residents like Dumo Karibo, forced to bring his son home from school to help salvage what they could from their ruined farm, and Iwari Innocent, who described the weeks they were “marooned” without government or oil company assistance, painted a grim picture of the disaster’s human cost. Innocent claimed the initial damage to the wellhead was caused by military helicopter air strikes targeting illegal oil bunkering operations. He also highlighted the inadequacy of the meager relief supplies eventually received.
Environmental activist Awolayeofori Harry MacMorrison corroborated the claim of military involvement in the initial damage and lamented the restricted access to the site for assessment. He, along with Dr. Emi Membere-Otaji, who witnessed the burning wellhead from a boat, called for urgent intervention. Community leader Chief Precious Elekima demanded a thorough investigation. The spill’s impact extended to numerous communities in the Kalabari area, including Ifoko, where environmentalist Harry Awolayeofori MacMorrison described the situation as a “catastrophic failure,” citing a history of oil spills. King Emmanuel Stephen of Ifoko lamented the destruction of their fishing livelihood and called for a safe environment.
Despite the scale of the disaster, a disturbing pattern of denial and buck-passing emerged. The Nigerian Air Force denied responsibility, attributing the leak to long-term illegal oil activities. NNPCL blamed vandals, citing repeated attacks on wellheads. The Office of the National Security Adviser echoed this claim, while NOSDRA, responsible for investigating such incidents, simply stated they were in contact with the wellhead operator. NEMA’s response was slow and inadequate. Local governments, despite vocal calls for action, offered little practical assistance. Even the state House of Assembly remained largely silent. It wasn’t until late January that Senator Ipalibo Banigo issued a statement calling for an investigation and relief efforts, while also urging communities to avoid sabotage. The Rivers State Commissioner for Environment expressed concern over the operator’s negligence and promised action.
The list of impacted communities in the Kalabari area includes the following: Bukuma, Zion City, Christ Liberty, Bekinkiri, Daily Bread, Okpuruta, Abbi-ama, Opubenibo, Harrison-ama, Ogazi-ama, Soton-ama, Atuka-ama , Akidy-Ama, Isam-kiri, Obutoru, Akuama , Omekwe-Tariama, Horsfall Ama, Suku-Joe Kiri, Angulama, Omekwe Ama, Ekwebio, Sienama, Arukiri, Oguruama, Opu-Elegbaboko, Oporoama, Abalama, Ifoko, Buguma, Tombia, Bakana, Krakrama, Hutton Kiri, Oru-kiri, Wupa-kiri, Olu-Ama, Omekwe Ama biri Kiri, Ibibari Kiri, Okpo, Sangama, Alalibiobe-ama and Temekaribo
Ifoko, a community which is also impacted by the Bukuma Wellhead 008 spill has also cried out. Harry Awolayeofori MacMorrison, an environmentalist, described the situation there as a “catastrophic failure” by the oil and gas companies operating in the region. He said, “Ifoko has been hit by more than 100 oil spills since oil exploration began in Nigeria. From the Omekwe Ama (Buguma manifold spill in September 2006) to the Buguma-Alakiri trunkline spill in March 2007, and the Santa Barbara spill in 2021, our environment has been systematically destroyed.”
The Amanyanabo of Ifoko, King Emmanuel Stephen, said, “Our pristine waters are now a shadow of what they once were. Fishing, which is our primary source of livelihood, is no longer possible. The people of Ifoko are not asking for luxury; we are demanding our right to live in a safe and clean environment. The government and the oil companies must address this issue immediately.”
Denials and Buck Passing
Despite the serious danger that the Bukuma 008 wellhead blowout was to the environment and surrounding communities, most of the key players and stakeholders in the sector did not show much seriousness in ending the fire and spillage. They have rather spent more time trading blames about who should take responsibility for the incident.
The Nigerian Air Force, whose helicopters carried out air raids around the wellhead during the period that the spill occurred, refuted claim that it was bullets fired from its helicopters that struck the wellhead. The force’s director of public relations, Air Vice-Marshal Olusola Akinboyewa, said the claims were false and unfounded. He said in a statement that the wellhead was leaking for a long time because of persistent illegal activities of oil thieves in the area.
He said, “Video recordings from previous (Air Force) missions confirm that the well head had been leaking for an extended period, resulting in the accumulation of gas and flammable liquids in the surrounding environment,” insisting that the air force did not shoot indiscriminately at civilians or assets.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, owners of the wellhead, blamed vandals for the fire at the wellhead operated by its subsidiary, NNPC Eighteen Operating Ltd (NEOL).
Olufemi Soneye, the company’s spokesman said the blowout was an act of sabotage by pipeline vandals attempting to compromise the Christmas Tree and steal crude oil.
“This unfortunate act of sabotage,” he said, “reflects a disturbing pattern of repeated attacks on wellheads in the zone.
“Since March 2023, crude oil theft on this asset has been persistent, with criminals now resorting to extreme measures, including the use of dynamite to destroy installations and illegally access hydrocarbons.”
NNPCL dismissed the serious humanitarian and environmental consequences of the Bukuma Wellhead 008 and lumped it along with its general other routine activities that it said, “place a significant burden on the nation’s economy,” which it was working with security agencies to end.
The Director of Energy Security in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Ojukaye Flag-Amachree, blamed the spill on illegal bunkering activities. Flag-Amachree, who visited the site of the blowout with some NNPCL officials, said a team comprising the security agencies and the operators would do “on-the-spot assessment of what has happened and see how we can quickly bring normalcy to this area.”
He, however, advised the communities to stop criminals from entering their communities to destroy the environment and sabotage the economy.
On the allegation that the military air strikes caused the damage, Flag-Amachree said, “What brought the Air Force? It is because of the illegal activities here. So the issue is not about throwing blame. It is for us to solve the problem and ensure that it does not repeat itself.”
Similarly, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, that was supposed to lead a Joint Investigation Visit to the scene and communities, took a distant look and blamed the spill and inferno on vandals.
affected by the blowout
The Director-General of NOSDRA, Chukwuemeka Woke, simply said his agency was in touch with the operator of the wellhead.
He said in a press statement, “On January 12, NOSDRA received reports of a fire outbreak at the well-head, which was attributed to excessive gas release.
“We have seen the level of pollution and devastation here, it is for us to arrest the fire and rescue the community from further losses. We have been in touch with the NNPCL and the operators and we are certain that the situation is under control.
“From the preliminary investigation of the JIV, it is a case of suspected pipeline vandalism, because we have seen evidence from the preliminary reports of two hoses connected to the manifold being used for illegal activities.
“That is enough evidence that some people were doing some illegal business, but we are still investigating, after which we would issue a final report.”
The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, had not even visited the communities to assess the level of assistance that the victims could get. When National Point visited NEMA Zonal Office in Port Harcourt two weeks after the incident to find out how the agency was assisting the victims, an official said they had just received a letter from the community about the disaster and they would be forwarding it to the national headquarters in Abuja to direct on how the zonal office could assist the victims.
Though Degema and Asari Toru Local Governments, where the spill occurred have been vocal in their calls for action on the affected communities and the spill, they have not done much in terms of assisting the victims. No mention of the incident has been made by Rivers State House of Assembly, which sparingly meets to consider executive bills mainly.
It was only Monday, January 27 that the senator representing the area, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo, issued a statement calling for investigation into the disaster.
In the statement, she also called on NNPCL and other relevant government agencies, to urgently rise to their responsibilities to take immediate actions to extinguish the fire.
She said she had promptly notified NOSDRA about the incident earlier in January. She revealed that apart from Wellhead 008, there are other wellheads around the location that are leaking and spilling oil into the environment. As if to blame the locals for the incident, the senator urged them to refrain from any form of sabotage.
She praised current efforts being made by NNPCL, Degema local government chairman, and environmental activists working hard to extinguish the fire and provide relief to those affected.
Banigo also praised environmental activists and community members for their proactive use of live videos and social media platforms to raise awareness of the situation.
She promised to deliver letters from the affected communities to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio for further action.
“This situation is unacceptable, and I will not rest until this matter is resolved, the fire extinguished, and our environment restored to a safe and conducive state,” she said.
She stated that she had already dispatched relief materials to the victims of the fire outbreak as an immediate measure to provide some level of comfort and support during this challenging time.
Rivers State Commissioner for Environment, Tambari Sydney Gbara, who said his ministry had done an assessment of the oil spill expressed concerns over the negligence of the operators of the wellhead.
He said the ministry would collaborate with other agencies to ensure that the spill is contained and that an accurate assessment of the environmental damage is conducted. “The environmental implications of this incident are severe, and it is imperative that we take immediate action to rectify the situation,” Gbara said.
The Commissioner also urged the affected communities to remain calm and patient during this process, assuring that the state government was working to resolve the situation.
Communities in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, which produce most of the revenue that the country depends on to survive are indeed in the throes of survival with the rampant damage to their habitat and, farmlands and waters by oil spills from the ubiquitous oil wells, pipelines and flow stations.
The Ogoni, neighbours to the Bukuma people in the Niger Delta, have for over three decades resisted moves by the Nigerian government to resume oil production in their land after the people sustained a protest against pollution and killings in their area arising from oil exploration and mining by international oil companies. Recently, the Nigerian government of President Bola Tinubu has reactivated efforts to resume oil production in Ogoni. But the people have stated that it can only be done through negotiations.
The Bukuma wellhead blowout is a stark reminder of the environmental devastation plaguing the Niger Delta. Communities already struggling with the impacts of oil exploration and spills now face further hardship. The incident highlights the urgent need for accountability, effective regulation, and a genuine commitment to protecting the environment and the livelihoods of the people who depend on it. The echoes of this disaster resonate with the long-standing struggles of the Ogoni people, who have resisted oil production in their region for decades due to environmental damage. As Nigeria seeks to reactivate oil production in Ogoni, the lessons of Bukuma must be heeded to prevent further tragedies.
By Emmanuel Obe and Clifford Christopher Solomon
