Kula boat tragedy

For four days, families in Kula Kingdom, Rivers State, clung to the hope that their loved ones who disappeared after a boat incident on the community’s waterways might still be found alive. But on Saturday, that hope gave way to grief when the search teams recovered the bodies of the last two missing victims, bringing the death toll to seven.
 
The victims were identified as Davies Opiri, Secretary of the Kula Community Development Committee (CDC), and David Sukubo, younger brother of the Chairman of the Eastern Zone of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Datolu Sukubo.
 
Their bodies were found among the creeks and mangroves around Robertkiri, four days after the incident occurred on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.

Community leaders, divers, local vigilantes and fishermen participated in the search, combing the waterways for the missing men. After the recovery, the bodies were taken to the Abonnema Divisional Police Headquarters, where relatives identified them before they were deposited at a morgue in Port Harcourt.

The recovery ended the search but did little to ease the anger in Kula Kingdom, where community leaders and youth organisations are demanding accountability and compensation for the bereaved families.

The incident occurred while a speedboat carrying 15 people was reportedly caught up in events surrounding the departure of the Anambra Basin, a crude oil vessel operated by Max Shipping Services Limited, a subsidiary of the Ibeto Group, from the Kula coastal waters after completing operations in the area.

Eight people survived, while seven died.

The circumstances surrounding the incident remain disputed, with community leaders alleging that the deaths resulted from a deliberate act rather than an accident. The Ibeto Group, however, had earlier denied direct responsibility for the dispute that preceded the incident.

Leader of the search and rescue team and a prominent Kula indigene, Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, while speaking after the recovery of the final two bodies, accused the company of being responsible for the deaths.

He alleged that the company’s founder, Cletus Ibeto, had threatened to crush and kill anyone who attempts to block the waterways to prevent the vessel from leaving the area.

“These are people who have turned women into widows and children into orphans. Families have lost their breadwinners, husbands, fathers, brothers and other loved ones,” he said.

Sukubo described the incident as a devastating loss for the kingdom and threatened to lead a mass protest to the residence and business premises of the company’s founder and its subsidiaries in Rivers State.

“I have declared a 21-day protest starting next week with 51,000 youths and caskets bearing the remains of the victims,” he said.

“We shall protest to the residence of Cletus Ibeto in Port Harcourt and shut down all his companies in Rivers State until he is arrested by security agencies and prosecuted for murder.”

He said the demonstration was intended to compel the authorities to act and secure justice for the bereaved families and affected communities.

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has also backed the community’s demands, urging security agencies and the Rivers State Government to expedite their response to the incident.

The IYC Chairman, Eastern Zone, Datolu Sukubo, made the call during a joint solidarity visit by delegations from the council’s Eastern and Western zones to the scene and affected communities in Kula Kingdom.

Datolu, who lost his younger brother in the tragedy, demanded the arrest and prosecution of those found culpable, including the owners of the crude oil vessel and the two tugboats allegedly involved in the operation. He warned that the Council could take action to apprehend the vessel’s owner if the authorities failed to act.

The IYC also called on the Chief of Army Staff and the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, to examine the conduct of personnel of Sector 3 Command, Okrika, in connection with the incident.
 
Datolu further urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and relevant regulatory agencies to strengthen oversight of companies involved in crude oil evacuation and address disputes between contractors and host communities before they escalate.

He said that closer monitoring of companies operating in the area could have helped prevent the tragedy.

The IYC Chairman, Western Zone, Nicholas Igarama, condemned what he described as the Ibeto Group’s insensitivity to the rights of host communities and disregard for human life.

Igarama, while commiserating with the bereaved families, pledged the council’s support in seeking justice for the victims and their communities.

An elder of the IYC and former Chairman of its Elders Council in the Kalabari Clan, Lolo Braide, described the deaths as devastating, particularly because the victims were young people with promising futures. He called for adequate compensation for their families and urged the Rivers State Government, NNPCL and relevant regulatory agencies to establish effective mechanisms for resolving disputes between host communities and oil and gas operators.

Another IYC elder in the Eastern Zone and Kalabari Clan, Anaye Kio, warned that the Council could resort to further action if its demands were not met.
 
Meanwhile, the people of Kula Kingdom have seized the Anambra Basin and two tugboats, Delta Runner and Laura-V, reportedly involved in the operation during which the incident occurred.
 
The two tugboat captains were also reportedly arrested by the police.
 
Community leader, Sara Igbe, confirmed that the vessel would not be allowed to leave the area, adding that the community, the military and the company were working towards a peace meeting. He said the military was facilitating dialogue following directives from the GOC and the brigade commander.

However, the IYC backed the seizure of the vessel and tugboats, with Datolu suggesting that they be renamed in honour of the victims.

In its earlier response, the Ibeto Group said its subsidiary, Max Shipping Services Limited, which operates the Anambra Basin, had been engaged by Menal Technical Services Limited under a contractual agreement for crude oil evacuation in the area.

The company’s account did not resolve the questions raised by the community over the circumstances leading to the incident.
 
As the police investigation continues, the seven deaths have deepened grief in Kula Kingdom and intensified calls for accountability, compensation and stronger safeguards for host communities affected by oil and gas operations.