By Samuel Olusegun Precious
Elder statesman and member of the Board of Trustees of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), His Highness Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, has insisted that businessman Chief Cletus Ibeto must account for the boat mishap that claimed 10 lives in Kula Kingdom.
Reacting to a statement by Max Shipping Services Ltd attempting to exonerate Chief Ibeto, Chief Sara-Igbe alleged that there is no doubt that Chief Ibeto invited and facilitated the deployment of six gunboats by the Nigerian Army to Robertkiri in OML 55, Kula Kingdom, to forcefully retrieve his oil storage vessel, MV ANAMBRA BASIN FSO on Tuesday.
According to him, the community had detained the vessel over non-payment of compensation for crude oil spill during loading and storage operations, failure to employ indigenes throughout its operations, and non-payment for diesel, water and catering services rendered to the vessel.
Chief Sara-Igbe,in a statement made available to newsmen, revealed that negotiations were already ongoing between Chief Ibeto and some community leaders to amicably resolve the issues before the unfortunate invasion. He said the defence put up by Max Shipping Services Ltd does not hold water, noting that the Kula community does not know the people that chartered the vessel or the conditions of their charter party.
“What the community knows is the vessel that came to work in their territory, polluted their environment and refused to meet its obligations,” he stated.
He argued that Chief Ibeto should have invited the charterer to the negotiation table or sought arbitration through the Akuku-Toru Local Government Council or the Rivers State Government rather than resorting to the military option.
“Whichever way Max Shipping Services Ltd tries to exonerate Chief Cletus, he will account for this act that led to the loss of innocent souls,” Chief Sara-Igbe said.
He added that Kula Kingdom assures that those who died in the struggle will not die in vain, and called on security agencies to do the needful by prosecuting Chief Ibeto and his accomplices for what he described as multiple murder of innocent citizens of Kula Kingdom.
It will be recalled that the boat carrying 10 youths from Kula reportedly capsized after being rammed by a gunboat during the forceful retrieval operation on Tuesday, October 20. All 10 occupants are feared dead.
