FRI NOV 13 2026-theGBJournal| Nigeria’s upstream oil regulator has classified three of 28 oil and gas wells screened around reported gas seepage sites in Rivers State as very high risk, raising concerns as investigations continue to establish the source of the seepage in Bille Community, Degema Local Government Area.
Another 10 wells were rated high risk, while 15 fell into the medium-to-low-risk category, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The update was made during a special technical paper on Thursday at the 44th Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), titled “Unravelling Gas Seepage and Bubbling in Nigeria: The Integrated Study Approach Towards Source Attribution,” hosted by the NUPRC.
In his presentation, the Director, Subsurface Development, NUPRC, Engr. Joseph Ogunsola, FNSE, said gas seepage was a new phenomenon in the Nigerian petroleum terrain, prompting the Commission to constitute a team to investigate what lies beneath the bubbles.
Ogunsola, who was represented by the Senior Manager, Onshore Frontier Development Drilling, Mr. Azibamikiomam John-Adumo (geologist), disclosed that studies conducted in one of the affected areas had helped unravel the structural threat.
He explained that one of the wells was originally drilled in search of oil but was shut down following the discovery of gas instead.
He said the well is approximately 2.5 kilometres from the seepage location, adding that investigations are ongoing to establish whether the seepage originates from that particular well or other nearby wells.
According to him, the distance between the seepage location and other wells ranges from 2.5 to 3 kilometres, noting that the area is highly explored and hydrocarbon-charged, as demonstrated by the number of wells in the vicinity.
Providing an update on the wells workstream, which falls under the facility and infrastructure component of the investigation, John-Adumo said 28 wells were screened based on their proximity to the seepage locations and the reservoirs traversed during drilling.
He disclosed that the investigation team physically visited 14 wells but could not access three others because they were submerged. During the visits, the team observed gas hissing from some wells, while some facilities were found to be corroded and others vandalised.
He further explained that the investigation had progressed from the first reported bubble to an independent fingerprinting campaign within 12 months. Recalling that the first seepage was observed in October 2025, he said the results of the independent investigation using Gas Chromatography-Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (GC-IRMS) and compositional field analysis are expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
While investigations continue, he said the Commission and operators had mobilised relief materials and support for affected communities, including food supplies, medical outreach, efforts to provide potable water, fire vans and safety kits, among others.
He added that if the seepage is natural geologic phenomena the people may need to be evacuated because tracing the migration pathways and designing subsurface interventions may be much more challenging, reiterating that the Commission remained committed to a speedy, coordinated and integrated investigation to establish the source of the gas seepage.
X-@theGBJournal|email:gbj@govbusinessjournal.com|govandbusinessj@gmail.com
