HOMEF calls for protecting communities after Kula tragedy — Premium Times Nigeria

In Nigeria, the environmental organization Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) called on the government and oil companies not to place commercial interests above human lives and community safety after seven people died in Kula, Rivers State. As Premium Times Nigeria reports, on October 20, a speedboat carrying 15 people capsized in the waters of the Kula Kingdom in the Akuku-Toru Local Government Area.

Eight people survived and seven died. The accident occurred during an operation to relocate the Anambra Basin FSO floating storage and offloading vessel. It was preceded by tensions between community members and participants in the operation to remove the vessel from coastal waters.

HOMEF statement

In a statement dated October 29, HOMEF said the tragedy raises questions about the responsibility of oil companies and government institutions to communities affected by oil activities. The organization’s executive director, Nnimmo Bassey, said that no volume of oil extracted is worth a human life.

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Reports said the protest was linked to unresolved community grievances: an alleged oil spill, unpaid funds to local suppliers and contractors, and what residents considered the operators’ disregard for their concerns. HOMEF called for preventing pollution, restoring damaged ecosystems, protecting fishing grounds, and ensuring community participation in decisions concerning their lands and waterways.

Vessel owner’s position and investigation

Max Shipping Services Limited, a subsidiary of Ibeto Group and the vessel’s owner, expressed condolences over the deaths but denied responsibility for the incident. The company said its role was limited to owning and recovering the vessel, which it handed over to Menal Technical Services Limited for crude oil evacuation.

Rivers State Police launched an investigation into the circumstances of the accident. The deaths of seven people were confirmed after search and rescue teams found the bodies of the final two victims, having previously recovered five bodies.