He defined that though the community wished the vessel eliminated, it insisted that excellent points, together with compensation, must be resolved earlier than its departure.
Sara-Igbe stated he had held discussions with the vessel proprietor and community representatives in an try to achieve an settlement, with one other assembly deliberate for this week.
However, he stated he later learnt that greater than six gunboats had been deployed to retrieve the vessel earlier than the deliberate assembly might happen.
“And when the matter came back to me, we agreed to meet this week to resolve the matter,” he stated.
“Only for me to hear that more than six gunboats were deployed to go and retrieve the boat from the place,” Sara-Igbe added.
He alleged that the confrontation resulted in a boat being struck by one of many gunboats and capsizing.
“In the process, the gunboats hit one of the boats, and the boat capsized,” he stated.
Sara-Igbe put the reported dying toll at ten, comprising two native safety personnel and eight community members.
He stated efforts have been underway to recuperate the victims’ our bodies, whereas groups from the police and different authorities had been deployed to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The elder stated he had contacted the Defence spokesperson and the Rivers State Police Command, as properly as the Nigerian Army’s Six Division in Port Harcourt, to report the event.
Kula stakeholders demand motion as 5 our bodies are recovered
In the most recent improvement, Sara-Igbe advised Daily Post that 5 our bodies had been recovered following the incident at Robert-Kiri, close to OML 25.
He stated the community deliberate to take the our bodies to the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt on Thursday in protest, earlier than continuing to the headquarters of the Rivers State Police Command.
Youth group requires calm, investigation
Meanwhile, the Kula Youth Organization has urged residents to stay calm and chorus from taking the regulation into their very own palms.
Its President, Odasema Hewart-Sukubo, known as on the federal government and safety businesses to analyze the incident and be certain that anybody “found responsible must be brought to justice”.
Hewart-Sukubo stated the group would await the end result of the investigation and the response of the related authorities, whereas urging youths to permit safety businesses to determine what occurred.
Max Shipping explains vessel retrieval
In the meantime, Max Shipping Services Limited has stated it owns the ANAMBRA BASIN FSO vessel however employed it to Menal Technical Services Limited to be used at Kula.
In an announcement on Wednesday, the corporate’s Legal Officer, Ikeh Chidimma Sylvia, stated Max Shipping determined to retrieve the vessel after Menal allegedly did not pay rent charges for an prolonged interval.
The firm stated the crude oil saved in the vessel had been eliminated earlier than the retrieval operation, citing inspection stories issued in September 2026.
It added that its settlement positioned accountability for the “vessel’s operations, security and community-related arrangements on Menal Technical Services and the end user, where applicable.”
Max Shipping additionally rejected stories linking its chairman, Chief Cletus Madubugwu Ibeto, to the incident, arguing that possession of the vessel shouldn’t be confused with accountability for oilfield operations.
The firm expressed unhappiness over stories {that a} boat had capsized, leaving a number of individuals feared dead, and known as for a safety investigation whereas urging all events to stay calm.
