Police confirm deaths in Rivers boat clash over oil spill

The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed that some people died after a boat capsized during a fight between local youths and men in military uniform over an oil spill in Kula, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of the state.

Police said they have started an investigation to find out how many lives were lost and what really happened during the incident on Tuesday evening.

The oil spill is said to be linked to a businessman whose boat was being used to carry out a contract in the area.

Reports from PUNCH Metro on Wednesday say community members tried to stop the contractor’s work until the environment was cleaned up and they received compensation for the damage caused by the spill.

The disagreement reportedly got worse when armed personnel arrived in several gunboats and tried to move the contractor’s boat.

Youths from the community challenged the personnel, asking why the boat was being moved when their worries about pollution and demands for compensation had not been addressed.

The situation allegedly heated up as the uniformed men insisted on moving the boat. In the chaos, one of the gunboats hit a boat carrying the youths, causing it to capsize.

About 10 people are feared dead from this incident, but police say they have not confirmed the exact number of casualties yet.

Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, a community leader and a pioneer spokeswoman for the Pan Niger Delta Forum, confirmed the incident to our correspondent during a phone call on Tuesday night.

Sara-Igbe said the arrival of the uniformed personnel made things worse and ruined earlier efforts to resolve the issue peacefully.

The activist and elder statesman called on the police and other security agencies to investigate the incident and figure out what led to the tragedy.

He said, "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."

He also claimed that the uniformed personnel left the scene right after the incident.

"Now, from what I gathered immediately after this tragedy happened, the uniformed people ran away," he said.

On Wednesday morning, Sara-Igbe gave an update, condemning the incident and saying the community plans to take the victims' bodies to government and security authorities to demand accountability.

"We are going to bring the corpses of the victims, and we would be bringing them to Port Harcourt," he said.

"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.

When we reached out, the spokesman for the Nigerian Army’s 6 Division in Port Harcourt, Lt. Col. Umar, said he was not aware of the incident but promised to find out more.

In a message to our correspondent on Wednesday morning, he said, "We are not aware of this. But we will make inquiries."

The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Blessing Agabe, confirmed the incident on Wednesday morning but said they have not yet determined the actual casualty figure.

"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, an assistant superintendent of police, said in a message to our correspondent.