Rivers Police Probe Kula Boat Tragedy As 10 Feared Dead

The Rivers State Police Command has launched an investigation into a boat capsize in Kula, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, in which 10 people are feared dead following a confrontation over an oil spill.

The incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday evening when community members attempted to stop a contractor from continuing operations pending the remediation of the polluted environment and payment of compensation.

The dispute involved a businessman whose vessel was being used to execute a contract in the area.

According to accounts from the community, the situation escalated when men in military uniform arrived in gunboats and attempted to move the businessman’s vessel

The youths reportedly questioned why the vessel was being relocated when the oil spill and compensation had not been addressed.

During the confrontation, one of the gunboats allegedly struck a boat carrying the youths, causing it to capsize.

A community leader and pioneer spokeswoman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, confirmed the incident to Punch, alleging that the arrival of the uniformed personnel worsened the situation and undermined efforts to resolve the dispute peacefully.

He called on the police and other relevant security authorities to investigate the incident and establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

“The confrontation occurred amid attempts by residents to resist the alleged forceful re-entry to the site, during which a community boat capsized while trying to resist them. Ten people are feared dead.

“Now, from what I gathered, immediately after this happened (tragedy), the uniformed people ran away,” he said.

In an update on Wednesday morning, Sara-Igbe condemned the incident and said the community planned to take the victims’ bodies to government and security offices in Port Harcourt.

“We are going to bring the corpses of the victims and we would be bringing them to Port Harcourt.

“We will take their corpses to Government House for the governor to know what has happened. We will also take the corpses to the police and Army headquarters in the state,” he added.

The spokesman of the Nigerian Army’s 6 Division in Port Harcourt, Lt. Col. Umar, said he was unaware of the incident but promised to make inquiries.

“We are not aware of this. But we will make inquiries,” he said.

However, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police Blessing Agabe, confirmed the incident, saying investigations were ongoing to determine the casualty figure and establish what happened.

“The Rivers State Police Command is aware of the incident in Kula Kingdom, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, which reportedly resulted in the loss of lives.

“Investigation is ongoing to ascertain the exact number of casualties and the circumstances surrounding the incident,” Agabe said.

As of the time of filing this report, the police had not confirmed the number of people killed.