OMM Newsroom
At least 10 people have died and seven are missing after a boat capsized during a confrontation involving community members and men in military uniform in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta, community leaders told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.
The incident occurred in the Robertkiri waterways in Kula Kingdom, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State. Residents had been protesting the movement of an oil vessel amid unresolved disputes over an alleged oil spill and other grievances related to operations at Oil Mining Lease 55.
Jonah Joshua, leader of the affected community, said eight people were rescued alive and seven remained missing as search-and-rescue operations continued.
Those missing include Davies Opiri, secretary of the Kula Community Development Committee, and two members of a group known as Amama Soldiers.
Community leaders alleged that military personnel arrived in gunboats to facilitate the removal of the oil vessel, escalating tensions with youths who were demanding action over environmental concerns.
Rivers State Police Command spokesperson Agabe Blessing Kaborlo confirmed that the command was aware of the incident. Kaborlo said an investigation was underway to determine the number of casualties and the circumstances of the capsize.
Rivers State is in the Niger Delta, a major oil-producing region where disputes over pollution, compensation, resource control and oil company activities have repeatedly sparked tensions.
