10 dead, 7 missing after boat incident involving oil vessel in Nigeria

At least 10 people are confirmed dead and seven missing after a boat capsized during a confrontation involving community members and men in military uniform about an oil spill in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta, community leaders told Anadolu on Thursday.

They said the accident occurred in the Robertkiri waterways in Kula Kingdom, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, while residents were protesting the movement of an oil vessel amid unresolved disputes about an alleged oil spill and other grievances involving operations at Oil Mining Lease (OML) 55.

Jonah Joshua, leader of the affected community, said that "eight people were rescued alive, while seven others remained missing as search-and-rescue operations continue."

The 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 on the environmental concerns.

Rivers State Police Command spokesperson Agabe Blessing Kaborlo confirmed the command was aware of the incident and said an investigation was underway to determine the number of casualties and the circumstances of the capsize.

Rivers State lies in the Niger Delta, a major oil-producing region where disputes about pollution, compensation, resource control and the activities of oil companies have repeatedly sparked tensions.