NUPRC screens 28 oil wells, identifies 13 as high, very high risk in Rivers

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has screened 28 oil and gas wells around reported gas seepage locations in Bille Community, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, identifying 13 as being at “high and very high risk.”

The commission disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday by its spokesperson, Eniola Akinkuotu, and obtained by CAPITAL POST in Abuja.
According to the statement, the remaining 15 wells were classified as medium to low risk.

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The NUPRC had on March 20 announced the activation of a coordinated technical investigation following a gas seepage incident in Bille Community, located within the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18 corridor in Rivers State.

Speaking at the Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), the commission’s Director of Subsurface Development, Joseph Ogunsola, said investigations were ongoing to determine the source of the seepage.

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Ogunsola described the incident as a new phenomenon in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

Represented at the conference by the Senior Manager, Onshore Frontier Development Drilling, Azibamikiomam John-Adumo, the director said studies conducted in one of the affected areas had helped uncover potential structural threats.

He disclosed that one of the wells was initially drilled for oil exploration but was shut down after gas, rather than oil, was discovered.

He added that investigations were ongoing to establish whether the well, located approximately 2.5 kilometres from the seepage site, was responsible for the incident or whether other nearby facilities were involved.

Ogunsola noted that other wells in the area were located between 2.5 and three kilometres from the seepage site, explaining that the area was extensively explored and hydrocarbon-rich, as reflected in the number of wells in its vicinity.

Providing an update on the wells workstream, which forms part of the facility and infrastructure component of the investigation, he said the 28 wells were screened based on their proximity to the seepage locations and the reservoirs encountered during drilling.
He disclosed that the investigation team physically inspected 14 wells but could not access three others because they were submerged.

During the inspections, the team observed gas hissing from some wells, while other facilities were found to be corroded or vandalised, according to the director.

Ogunsola said the investigation had progressed from the first reported bubbling incident to an independent gas fingerprinting campaign within 12 months.

He recalled that the first seepage was observed in October 2025, adding that results from the independent investigation, using gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS) and compositional field analysis, were expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.

He said the commission and operators had mobilised relief materials and support for affected communities while investigations continued.

The interventions include food supplies, medical outreach, efforts to provide potable water, fire vans and safety kits.

Ogunsola warned that residents might need to be evacuated if the seepage was found to result from natural geological phenomena, noting that tracing gas migration pathways and designing appropriate subsurface interventions could be more challenging under such circumstances.

He reiterated the commission’s commitment to a speedy, coordinated and integrated investigation to establish the source of the gas seepage and determine the appropriate response.

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