Seven persons are missing and feared drowned after a boat mishap along the Robertkiri waterways in Kula Kingdom, Akuku-Toru LGA, as rescue teams intensify efforts to recover their bodies amid accusations by affected communities against the Ibeto Group.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, October 20, when a tugboat reportedly escorted by military personnel attempted to tow away an oil vessel operated by the company, triggering a confrontation with protesting community members aboard a speedboat. Eight persons were rescued alive, but the seven others remained missing as search operations continued.
The missing persons include Davies Opiri, Secretary of the Kula Community Development Committee (CDC); David Sukubo; Endwell Ameme; Aboy Umeonu; Nye Oriye; and two unidentified personnel of a local security outfit known as Amama Soldiers. Eight persons were reportedly rescued alive.
The victims were among protesting members of Kula’s satellite communities and fishing settlements who had reportedly mobilised to prevent the oil vessel from leaving their coastal waters over unresolved grievances against the company.
The communities accused the Ibeto Group of polluting their waterways, fishing ports and creeks, failing to pay local vendors and withholding royalties allegedly due to host communities. The allegations have not been independently verified.
A search team comprising the Divisional Police Officer of Abonnema Police Division, the President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Amb. Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, traditional chiefs and other Kula indigenes combed nearby creeks and waterways but reportedly failed to locate the missing persons within the first 24 hours.
One of the survivors, Gibert Pokubo, blamed military personnel attached to the tugboat, alleging that they acted on the instructions of the Ibeto Group to force the oil vessel out of the area despite resistance from the protesters.
Jonah Joshua, one of the search-and-rescue team leaders, called for accountability, saying the company and personnel of the Nigerian Army’s Sector 3 Command in Okrika allegedly involved in the operation should be held responsible for what he described as avoidable deaths.
The allegations against the company and military personnel have not been independently established. No response from either party was included in the information available for this report.
Meanwhile, Stephen Willbraide, a relative of one of the missing persons, said the families had been left devastated by the incident. He called for a thorough investigation and justice for the affected families.
The search operation continued on Thursday, October 22, as rescuers worked to recover the seven missing persons. The circumstances surrounding the mishap and the allegations of responsibility remain matters requiring investigation.
