By Emmanuel Olugua
Residents and stakeholders of Uzere Kingdom, an oil-producing community in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, have sent an urgent Save Our Soul appeal to President Bola Tinubu and petroleum regulators over reported gas seepage from multiple points in the community, warning of a potential fire, explosion and environmental emergency.
The alarm followed reports of gas escaping from the ground at London Base Quarters in Uweye Community, Uzere Kingdom, within the OML 30 operational area.
In an emergency petition to the President, the Uzere Concerned Oil and Gas Landlord Stakeholders Forum said photographs, video footage and eyewitness accounts showed emissions emerging from several holes, some of which reportedly produced visible flames when ignited during a recent inspection.
The petition, signed by the forum’s Coordinator, Amb. Prince Ogologo M.O., said a flooded section of the affected area was also observed bubbling continuously, raising fears that gas could be escaping through the water.
Residents claimed the phenomenon had been noticeable since September, with the community recounting an earlier incident in which a candle was allegedly lit near the affected area and the surroundings suddenly caught fire before residents extinguished the flames.
The stakeholders stressed, however, that the source, composition, pressure, volume, and cause of the suspected gas emissions had not been independently established by regulatory authorities.
They said that uncertainty made an immediate scientific investigation imperative rather than diminishing the seriousness of the situation.
“The people of Uzere should not have to wait for an explosion, major fire, loss of life, widespread environmental contamination, or a public health crisis before the machinery of government responds,” the petitioners said.
They called on Tinubu to direct the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, Federal Ministry of Environment, and National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to deploy a joint emergency assessment team to the community.
The group also asked authorities to secure the affected location, prevent activities capable of igniting the suspected gas, and conduct comprehensive tests on the air, soil, surface water, and groundwater.
It demanded that petroleum and environmental experts determine the exact source and nature of the emissions and establish whether they were connected with oil and gas infrastructure or operations in the area.
Where such a connection is established, the stakeholders said the responsible operator should be compelled to immediately contain and permanently repair the source, while environmental damage should be assessed and remediated.
The community also sought health assessments for potentially exposed residents, continuous air quality monitoring, and full disclosure of investigation findings.
It appealed separately to Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to mobilise state emergency, environmental, and health agencies to complement any federal intervention.
The stakeholders similarly called on Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited, HEOSL, operator of OML 30, to dispatch technical personnel to the location and cooperate with regulators in determining whether any petroleum infrastructure or operational activity was connected to the reported seepage.
The group said it was not assigning responsibility to the operator before a technical investigation.
“We are not prejudging the outcome of the investigation,” it said, adding that the reported visible emissions and ignition points nevertheless demanded urgent professional verification.
The community warned that what residents described as multiple ignition points in a populated area could pose potentially serious fire, explosion, asphyxiation, environmental, and public-health risks if confirmed.
“Uzere must not wait for a disaster before the government acts,” the stakeholders declared.
They urged the President to order an immediate coordinated federal and state response, saying preventive intervention would be far less costly than dealing with the human and environmental consequences of a major accident.
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