The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has screened 28 oil and gas wells around reported gas seepage locations in the country, identifying three as very high risk, 10 as high risk and 15 as medium to low risk as investigations continue to establish source of seepage in Bille Community, Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.
NUPRC’s Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Eniola Akinkuotu, disclosed in a statement on Friday that the update was given during a special technical paper on Thursday at 44th the Annual International Conference and Exhibition of Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPEP), titled Unravelling Gas Seepage and Bubbling in Nigeria: The Integrated Study Approach Towards Source Attribution, hosted by NUPRC.
In his presentation, Director, Subsurface Development, NUPRC, Engr. Joseph Ogunsola, said gas seepage was a new phenomenon in the Nigerian petroleum industry, prompting the Commission to constitute a team to investigate what lies beneath the bubbles.
Ogunsola, who was represented by Senior Manager, Onshore Frontier Development Drilling, Mr. Azibamikiomam John-Adumo, disclosed that studies conducted in one of affected areas had helped unravel structural threat.
He explained that one of the wells was originally drilled in search of oil but was shut down following discovery of gas instead.
The director said the well is approximately 2.5 kilometres from seepage location, adding that investigations are ongoing to establish whether seepage originates from that particular well or other nearby wells.
According to him, the distance between seepage location and other wells ranges from 2.5 to 3 kilometres.
He noted 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 facility and infrastructure component of investigation, Ogunsola said 28 wells were screened based on their proximity to seepage locations and reservoirs traversed during drilling.
The experts 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 first the reported bubble to an independent fingerprinting campaign within 12 months.
Recalling that first the seepage was observed in October 2025, he said results of independent investigation using Gas Chromatography Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry and compositional field analysis are expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
While investigations continue, Ogunsola 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.
The expert added that if seepage is natural geologic phenomena people may need to be evacuated because tracing migration pathways and designing subsurface interventions may be much more challenging, reiterating that the Commission remained committed to speedy, coordinated and integrated investigation to establish source of gas seepage.
