Since 2024, a significant oil well fire has become a major concern for residents in the Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State, located in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region
The Goro Initiative’s Documenting Violence and Environmental Destruction (DVED) project has obtained and analysed various Sentinel and Google Earth satellite images to track and highlight the crisis, which has continued unabated. The imagery reveals what appears to be an active fire at the Alakiri wellhead; the sustained blaze is consistent with a burning oil well and has reportedly continued for an extended period. In the processed imagery, additional fires related to oil exploration are visible, alongside significant oil spillage on the water’s surface.
The fire is not visible in Sentinel imagery from January 12, 2023, to January 12, 2024. It first becomes visible in March 2024 and continues to appear in subsequent images from January 2025 and, more recently, April 2026.
Residents have protested and raised concerns about the environmental and health impacts, including air pollution and the destruction of their livelihoods. In recent days, residents of Ofiomina-ama Alakiri in the Koniju Kingdom of Okrika staged a warning protest regarding the ongoing fire at Alakiri Well. During the demonstration, the community called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to intervene and urgently extinguish the fire.
Beyond the dire health implications, the fire and oil spillage are devastating the local environment and threatens fishing, which remains the vital lifeblood and primary livelihood of the people.
The oil pollution crisis in the Niger Delta has persisted for decades, driven by ageing infrastructure, oil bunkering, regulatory shortcomings, and industrial neglect. This ongoing catastrophe has decimated the region’s vital mangrove forests and left its waterways and lands severely contaminated
Sentinel-2 and Google Earth imagery below help identify the location of the incident. The Google Earth image taken in 2019 shows what appears to be the oil well structure at approximately 4°39’44.22″N, 7°4’25.11″E, marked within the highlighted area.
The site is visible as a distinct feature within a riverine/mangrove environment. The ongoing fire is observable in subsequent Sentinel satellite imagery.
Google Earth and Sentinel-2 imagery reveal additional active fire points in the area, consistent with oil exploration-related activities. The imagery also shows two nearby communities located in proximity to the affected sites. They are highlighted within the blue rectangles. Their location near the fire points raises concerns about potential exposure to environmental and health risks.
