Bille gas eruption: Group demands emergency declaration, evacuation

From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The People’s Assembly and Bille Working Group have called on President Bola Tinubu to declare Bille Kingdom in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State a national environmental, safety and public health emergency, following a year-long gas eruption that has killed 11 people.
In a petition dated October 26, 2026, and addressed to the President, President of the Senate, ministers of Health and Environment, and Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), through the Director-General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), the coalition of over 20 groups warned that Bille was a genocide in waiting, if ...