Rivers State community carry dead bodis go Govment House to seek justice for residents wey die for boat accident

Pipo of Kula community for Akuku Toru Local Govment Area of Rivers State on Thursday 22, carry di five dead bodis wey dem recova from di boat accident wey happun for Robertkiri waterways wey involve one tugboat and one speedboat, go Govment House Port Harcourt to demand justice for di death of dia sons.

Di incident happun on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, wen one tugboat wey bin dey escorted by military personnel attempt to pull out a 200,000-barrel capacity oil vessel operated by Ibeto Group after two years of operating in di area.

Di victims of di boat accident dey among protesting members of Kula satellite communities and fishing settlements wey bin go protest to prevent di oil vessel from sailing out of dia coastal waters ova unresolved issues wit di company.

Di speedboat bin carry fifteen pesins but eight of dem survive while seven na victims wey kpai but dem don recova five bodis and still dey look for two pesins.

How di incident happun?

Youth leader for Kula, Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, tell BBC News Pidgin say di oil vessel MV ANAMBRA wey carry crude oil bin don spill crude oil sake of equipment failure wey don pollute di waterways and creeks for di Kula area.

So di community protest sake of alleged oil spills, compensation and employment opportunities wey involve operations of di oil vessel for OML 55 wey dey dia community.

E explain say di Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and Belemaoil Joint Venture about two years ago for 2024, engage one vessel wey belong to Ibeto Group to use am as crude oil storage tanker for di facility.

Sara-Igbe allege say oil spills occur around di area during dia operations, wey make di community demand compensation and employment opportunities for dia pipo.

E say di community complain say none of dia members dey employed by di company during di two-year period and di company no meet dia demands for compensation.

So tensions come dey until di company contract wit NNPCL kon end recently, wey make di community insist say di company no go comot dia equipment - dat na di oil vessel - from site until all di outstanding issues don dey resolved.

Dis make dem go meet dia traditional ruler, Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo, wey intervene and advise di company to reach a peaceful settlement wit di community bifor removing dia equipment.

Sara-Igbe say on Tuesday 20 October, 2026, dem get information say di company don go get gunboats to facilitate di removal of di equipment, and na im make di community members mobilise to go stop dem.

"We surprise wen we see say dem go carry military personnel from Sector 3 Command Okrika of di Nigerian Army to lead di vessel comot - na im we mobilise to go stop dem.

One of di officers kon dey tok to us, so we explain to am say our king don already address di mata and tell di vessel owners make dem settle wit us bifor dem fit remove di vessel.

"As we dey tok, anoda officer point im gun to di driver of one of di tugboat and order am to move di boat. As e move di boat, di rope wey connect di tugboat to di vessel kon stretch and e tumble di boat wia we bin dey.

"Di oda tugboat no know wetin happun, kon push di vessel, na im di vessel kon press di boat wey don capsize."

Of di 15 pesins wey bin dey inside di speed boat, eight of dem survive and dem kon dey look for di odas and na on Thursday 22 October, dem recova five of di dead bodis.

Meanwhile, Max Shipping Services Limited don express sadness ova di reported loss of lives for Kula but deny allegations wey link dia vessel to oil pollution for di facility.

‘We want justice for our sons’

Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo wey also be president of di National Youth Council of Nigeria say dem "want justice for di needless death of dia sons and brothers", na im make dem carry di dead bodis of di five pesins wey dem recova go Rivers State Govment House Port Harcourt and to also show di Rivers State Commissioner of Police.

"Our community dey in mourning. Pipo dey cry for dia sons, dia brothers, dia husbands and dia fathers wey don die like dis.

"We no go gree make dem just die like dat na im make we carry dem come show di Govnor make e see wetin don happun and also to show di police too so dat dem go make sure say di owners of dat vessel no go go scot free. Dem must be held accountable for di deaths of our sons and brothers," e ok.

Govnor Fubara wey bin dey represented by im Chief of Staff, Sunny Ewule, say e dey sorry for wetin don happun to di pipo of Kula and say dem go make sure di necessary authorities wey dey concerned go thoroughly investigate di mata.

"Rivers State Govment no go rest until we get to di bottom of dis. Anybodi wey dey involved for di accident or wateva happun go pay for am. We no go sidon look while Rivers indigenes go suffer dis kain unnecessary incident. We sympathise wit di Kula community," e tok.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Iyke Okoro wey address dem wen dem go meet di police say as di incident happun for water, na di Marine Police division go lead di investigation as di Rivers State Commissioner of Police Olugbenga Adepoju dey aware of wetin don happun and dem go make sure di mata dey properly investigated.

E also sympathise wit di community for di deaths of dia pipo and advise dem not to take laws into dia hands but to follow evritin legally, according to law.

‘We no get hand for di oil spill and boat accident for Kula’ - Max Shipping Services Ltd

Max Shipping Services Limited, through dia legal adviser, Chidinma Ikenna, say e dey necessary to clarify dia involvement as tori burst wey connect dia vessel, ANAMBRA BASIN FSO, to di incident and di dispute for Kula.

Ikenna say Max Shipping Services Limited na im own di vessel but dem no be di operator of di oilfield or di company wey dey responsible for di underlying petroleum operations for di community.

She explain say dem hire di vessel to Menal Technical Services Limited under a Marine Equipment Hire Agreement for 20 September, 2024, wey dem later amend through an addendum.

She say di contractual relationship concerning di vessel na wit Menal Technical Services Limited, not directly with di host community or di operators of di oilfield.

"We no be party to di separate operational arrangements wey Menal or di end user fit don get wit di host community".

Chidinma Ikenna add say under di hire agreement, Menal Technical Services Limited assume specified responsibilities wey relate to operational exigencies, community settlements, vessel and personnel security, and demobilisation.

Max Shipping also reject allegations say dia vessel cause oil pollution for di area, and cite inspection documents wey bin dey issued since September 2026 to prove am.

"Tank inspection documents issued by Checkirem and GSV Inspection Services Limited for September 2026 record say di inspected tanks bin dey free and clean of crude oil at di time of inspection," she tok.

Di company maintain say di inspection findings support dia position say di vessel no contain crude oil wen dem examine am.

Ikenna also dispute attempts to link dia principal, Chief Cletus Ibeto, to di disagreement for di facility and di circumstances wey surround di boat accident, and insist say im no dey responsible for di community dispute or di tragic outcome.

In di meantime, di Kula community pipo don deposit di five recovered dead bodis for mortuary while dem still dey search for di remaining two pesins.