Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has vowed that those found culpable in the killing of 10 persons in Kula Kingdom, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, will be brought to justice.
The governor gave the assurance on Thursday when residents of the coastal community staged a peaceful march to Government House, Port Harcourt, to demand government intervention over the incident.
The attack reportedly occurred amid a dispute between the community and Ebeto Company over the removal of a vessel allegedly linked to unresolved complaints of oil spills, compensation and employment opportunities for indigenes.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Sunny Ewule, Fubara expressed sympathy with the bereaved families and urged the community to remain calm and refrain from taking the law into its own hands.
He assured the protesters that the state government would ensure a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident and that anyone found responsible would face the full weight of the law.
“We want to sympathise with the Kula Community and the bereaved families. Anybody who is involved in this incident or found culpable for whatever happened will definitely pay for it according to the law.
“We are not going to sit by and allow Rivers indigenes to go through this type of unnecessary death,” the governor said.
Earlier, the leader of the Kula delegation, High Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, said the community visited Government House to formally report the incident and seek the governor’s intervention.
He said the community had the capacity to retaliate but had chosen to pursue a peaceful resolution by bringing its grievances before the state government.
“It is proper we inform him (Fubara) because we don’t want to take the laws into our hands. We have the capacity to react, but we don’t want to react,” he said.
Sara-Igbe, a traditional ruler in Kula Kingdom and pioneer spokesperson of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), had earlier alleged that six gunboats were deployed to retrieve a disputed vessel from the community despite ongoing negotiations to resolve the disagreement.
The dispute reportedly centres on MV Anabra, a vessel said to have been hired from Chief Cletus Ibeto by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and Belema Oil joint venture about two years ago for crude oil storage at Oil Mining Lease 65.
According to Sara-Igbe, the community had accused the company of failing to address alleged oil spills associated with the vessel’s operations and demanded compensation, employment and empowerment opportunities for its people.
He said the community refused to release the vessel after its contract expired because the outstanding issues had not been resolved.
The traditional ruler claimed that negotiations had been progressing towards an amicable settlement when he received information that six gunboats had been sent to remove the vessel forcibly.
He alleged that one of the boats conveying community members was struck during the confrontation and sank, leaving its occupants missing and feared drowned. Two members of Amama Soldiers, a private security outfit reportedly engaged by the community to prevent the vessel’s removal, were also among those feared missing.
Sara-Igbe further alleged that the gunboats left the scene without attempting to rescue those who had fallen into the water. These claims have yet to be independently verified.
He said he had contacted the commanding officer at Bori Camp, who reportedly denied knowledge of the operation. Subsequent inquiries, he added, suggested that the gunboats might have originated from Section Two or Section Three in Okrika, although this allegation was also unverified.
The traditional ruler said the police and the spokesperson of the Nigerian Army’s 6 Division had been notified, while efforts were ongoing to locate the missing persons.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the incident and commenced investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding the confrontation and determine the actual number of casualties.
The command’s spokesperson, ASP Blessing Agabe, said the incident reportedly resulted in loss of lives, adding that investigators were working to ascertain the number of victims.
“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.
The state government’s pledge to investigate the incident comes amid calls for accountability over the deaths and the need to resolve the underlying dispute peacefully.
