NHRC PLEDGES ACTION TO RESTORE LIVELIHOODS OF RIVERS COMMUNITY AFFECTED BY GAS LEAKAGE
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The National Human Rights Commission has pledged to work towards safeguarding the lives and restoring the livelihoods of residents of Bile community in Rivers State, following concerns over persistent gas leakage in the area.
The Assistant Chief Investigation Officer of the NHRC, Zainab Hamma, gave the assurance in Abuja on Wednesday during the presentation of a documentary on the community by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa.
Hamma, who represented the Executive Chairman of the commission, said the NHRC would examine the concerns raised by residents and take steps to ensure their rights to life and livelihood were protected.
She said, “On behalf of the Executive Chairman of the Commission, I want to thank them for the efforts to reinforce this issue, so that we can look into it and ensure that the livelihoods of the people in the community are restored.
“We remain committed to ensuring that the lives and livelihoods of all Nigerians are safeguarded.”
The assurance followed complaints from residents that the gas leakage had persisted despite interventions and assessments by relevant government agencies.
The Vice President of the Bile Kingdom Youth Foundation, Timothy Agunbiade, said the authorities had conducted soil sampling and air-quality tests in the community but had yet to resolve the source of the leakage.
According to him, the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency had visited the community about four times, while the NHRC had also conducted visits.
“Ever since then, they have been coming and going. NOSDRA has come to Bile for like four times. NHRC has come to Bile sometimes and all and all, until today, we are still experiencing the gas seepage, leakage rather. And there’s no solution yet,” Agunbiade said.
He appealed to the government to prioritise stopping the leakage rather than providing temporary relief to affected residents.
“What we are asking the government for is a stop to this issue that is on ground. Not any kind of giving us money or giving us food. It’s just like we are being fed to wait to die,” he said.
Agunbiade urged the authorities to halt the leakage before embarking on remediation and other measures to address its potential environmental and health consequences.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, Akinbode Oluwafemi, called for urgent intervention by the government and relevant authorities to protect residents.
Oluwafemi recommended the establishment and enforcement of a binding timetable assigning clear responsibilities, deadlines and reporting obligations to every relevant agency and operator involved in addressing the crisis.
He also said the cost of managing the emergency should not continue to be borne by residents of Bile.
The gas emissions in Bile were reported to have begun in October 2025, meaning the community had endured the problem for about eight months as of May 2026.
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