Nigeria, Feb. 7 -- On 3 August 2025, residents of the Kpean community in the Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State woke up to an invisible warning.

A sharp, suffocating hydrocarbon smell crept through the air, forcing people out of their homes and toward an oil facility that looms ominously over their lives and livelihoods.

Before they reached the site, the land and water had already delivered the message: crude oil was spilling again.

Darkened soil, slick streams and wilting vegetation announced the incident before any official confirmation.

At the centre of the incident was Well 14, drilled around 1967 in the Yorla Oil Field of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 11.

The abandoned, dilapidated oil well has remained in place for decades af...