Abstract
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has commenced another round of
exploration campaigns for possible hydrocarbon deposits in the Nigerian Benue Trough. The
Benue Trough, divided into lower, middle and upper portions, is a SW-NE trending intracratonic
basin containing Cretaceous-Tertiary sediment fill of up to 6,000 m. Appreciable volumes of 3G 1
data had been generated on the basin by several previous attempts by NNPC and its joint venture
partners. Geological profiles juxtaposed against geophysical data have delineated more
prospective areas in the basin where sediment thicknesses vis-à-vis depths to basement are
relatively large. Organic geochemical data have been interpreted in terms of organic matter
maturation, hydrocarbon generation, expulsion, and migration culminating in the understanding
of the volume and stratigraphy of potential source rocks. Consequently, in the Middle Benue
Trough, source rock facies have been identified in the carbonaceous shales of the Keana-Awe,
Ezeaku and Awgu Formations, with most prospective parts covering the areas within and around
Lafia, Loko, Dedere, Doma and Shabu where the Lafia Formation has added to the sediment
thickness. In the Upper Benue Trough, source rock facies comprise the carbonaceous intervals
within the Gongila, Pindiga and Fika Formations with more prospective areas covering the areas
within and around Gombe, Gombe-Aba, Dukku, and Akko where the Kerri-Kerri Formation has
added to the sediment thickness. Previous efforts by Shell (SNEPCO) has tested little oil and more
gas in the Kolmani River-1 well drilled at Futuk near Alkaleri, spudding on the Kerri-Kerri and
bottoming on the Yolde. Considered against analogs in similar rifted basins in Chad Republic,
Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, there are possibilities for commercial oil and gas discoveries in the
Benue Trough.