Kula Boat Tragedy: HOMEF, IYC Demand Justice for Seven Victims

**Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt **

The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called for an end to an extractive economic model that places commercial interests above human lives and environmental protection following a recent boat mishap in Kula Kingdom, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, which claimed seven lives.

The incident occurred on October 20, 2026, amid a protest linked to the blockade of a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel, Anambra Basin, reportedly over unresolved grievances concerning an oil spill, alleged neglect of the host community.

HOMEF, in a statement yesterday signed by its Media and Communications representative, Kome Odhomor, said the tragedy highlighted the urgent need to prioritise community safety, environmental protection and accountability in Nigeria’s petroleum industry.

Its Executive Director, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, said: “The Kula tragedy exposes the cruelty of an extractive model that places commercial interests above human lives and the wellbeing of communities. No barrels of crude oil are worth a human life.”

Bassey noted that decades of petroleum extraction had left many communities grappling with pollution, damaged fishing grounds, threatened food security and declining livelihoods.

He stressed that environmental justice must go beyond compensation after damage occurs to include pollution prevention, ecosystem restoration, respect for community rights and meaningful participation in decisions affecting their lands and waterways.

HOMEF expressed solidarity with the bereaved families and survivors, insisting that human lives and ecological wellbeing must take precedence over commercial interests. “No profit is worth a human life,” the organisation declared.

Meanwhile, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has called for the investigation and prosecution of anyone found culpable in the incident, including those responsible for the operations of the vessel and two tugboats reportedly involved in the mishap.

The IYC made the demand during a joint solidarity visit by its Eastern and Western Zone delegations to the incident scene and affected communities in Kula Kingdom.

The council’s Eastern Zone Chairman, Prince Datolu Sukubo, urged security agencies and the Rivers State Government to expedite investigations. He also called on the Chief of Army Staff and the General Officer Commanding, 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, to investigate the alleged involvement of personnel in the incident.

Sukubo, who disclosed that he lost his younger brother in the tragedy, said the IYC supported the seizure of the vessel and tugboats involved in the incident.

The Western Zone Chairman, Nicholas Igarama, pledged the council’s commitment to pursuing justice for the victims, their families and the host communities.

An IYC elder, Chief Lolo Braide, called for adequate compensation for the bereaved families and urged the Rivers State Government, NNPC Limited and relevant regulatory agencies to establish effective mechanisms for resolving disputes between oil industry operators and host communities.

Both HOMEF and the IYC stressed the need for accountability and measures to prevent similar tragedies.