Residents of Niger Delta communities have raised the alarm over persistent gas leaks and oil pollution, alleging a rise in unexplained deaths and health problems linked to environmental degradation.

Community leaders, activists and residents voiced their concerns at the second session of the People’s Environmental Assembly in Port Harcourt, warning that decades of unresolved hydrocarbon pollution had threatened the health and livelihoods of host communities.

The gathering, organised by We the People, a human and ecological rights organisation, was held under the theme, “The Niger Delta on the Road to Recovery: Shifting Power and Building Solidarity for Ecological Justice.”

The Vice-President of the Bille Youth Federation in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State, Timothy Agunbiade, said communities around major oil facilities, including OML 18, Krakrama and Awoba flow stations, had experienced persistent gas seepage for nearly a year.

He alleged that the situation had coincided with an alarming number of deaths, particularly among young and middle-aged residents, many of whom died without formal medical diagnoses.

“In September alone, we recorded seven deaths in Bille, and only one person was above 45 years old. Between October 1 and today, we have lost four more people,” he said.

Agunbiade alleged that gas was seeping from the ground and bubbling through waterways, roads and school premises, raising fears of a possible disaster.

He also recalled an explosion in July that critically burned a resident, Joy Amos, who died after spending 19 days at a local clinic because of inadequate medical facilities. Residents, he added, were experiencing respiratory problems, skin rashes and throat irritation.

In Bayelsa State, Mitema Suoye George, representing Otuabagi community, said a recent health assessment involving 80 women found what he described as dangerous levels of petroleum hydrocarbons in their bloodstreams.

He also raised concerns about reproductive health, alleging that women as young as 35 were experiencing premature cessation of menstruation and other reproductive challenges.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of KebetKache Women Development and Resource Centre, Dr Emem Okon, accused international oil companies of avoiding responsibility for pollution through asset divestments.

She said some companies were transferring polluted assets to local buyers without adequately addressing environmental damage or compensating affected communities.

The Executive Director of We the People, Ken Henshaw, said financial compensation alone could not reverse ecological destruction, calling for comprehensive environmental audits, the restoration of damaged mangroves and waterways, and urgent public health interventions.

Citing the United Nations Environment Programme’s report on Ogoniland, he highlighted the scale of contamination, including findings of benzene in drinking water at levels far above international safety limits.

Henshaw said the assembly aimed to strengthen community solidarity and mobilise residents to demand accountability from governments and oil companies.