According to the community source, the blowout has continued unabated for weeks, with crude oil and gas escaping into the surrounding environment, exposing nearby residents to significant health, safety, and environmental risks.
An oil wellhead in Uzere, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, has been spewing crude oil and gas uncontrollably into the environment for three weeks, sparking fears of an impending environmental and humanitarian disaster as residents abandon their homes and farmlands, SaharaReporters has learnt.
The affected facility, identified as Location-14, is located in the Uhei Quarter of Uzere, only a few metres from residential buildings.
A community resident told SaharaReporters on Sunday, July 12, that the oil wellhead was previously owned and operated by Shell but is now under the management of Heritage Energy.
According to the community source, the blowout has continued unabated for weeks, with crude oil and gas escaping into the surrounding environment, exposing nearby residents to significant health, safety, and environmental risks.
Video footage obtained by SaharaReporters showed crude oil and gas spewing uncontrollably into the environment.
Uzere holds a prominent place in Nigeria's petroleum industry as the second community where crude oil was discovered and produced in commercial quantities.
The community hosts more than 50 oil wellheads spread across two oil fields.
However, concerns have continued to grow over the condition of oil infrastructure in the area, much of which dates back to the early 1950s.
Community members and environmental observers have repeatedly warned that the ageing facilities require urgent maintenance and integrity assessments to prevent catastrophic failures.
The latest blowout has heightened those concerns, particularly as the rainy and flooding season intensifies across the Niger Delta.
The community source said the continuous discharge of oil and gas has forced families living close to the facility to vacate their homes, while several farmlands around the wellhead have also been abandoned due to fears of explosions, pollution, and worsening environmental contamination.
“This is not the first incident at the site,” the source said. “Approximately ten years ago, the same wellhead suffered a similar blowout, after which Shell carried out repair works.
“However, the current incident is far more severe, posing an even greater threat to public safety and the environment.”
Environmental advocates have expressed concern that if the blowout is not swiftly contained before floodwaters spread contaminated materials across surrounding communities, the area could face extensive ecological damage, destruction of livelihoods, and long-term pollution of land and water sources.
Residents warned that every additional day the blowout remains uncontrolled increases the danger to human life, threatens biodiversity, and deepens the economic losses suffered by farming families and other affected community members.
“With the peak of the flooding season fast approaching, Uzere faces the risk of a major humanitarian, environmental, and ecological disaster if urgent action is not taken,” the source said.
“Residents have already been forced to abandon homes and farmlands in the immediate vicinity as oil and gas continue to escape unchecked.”
The community called on the Nigerian government, relevant regulatory agencies, emergency response authorities, and Heritage Energy to urgently mobilise resources to contain the leak, protect residents, and prevent further environmental degradation.
“Every day of inaction increases the risks to the affected community and compounds the long-term environmental and economic consequences of this disaster,” the source said.
The incident added to longstanding concerns over recurring oil spills, ageing petroleum infrastructure and environmental pollution across Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta region, where host communities have repeatedly complained about the impact of oil exploration on their health, livelihoods and environment.