Justice · Rivers boat deathsRobertkiri boat capsizing: Five bodies reported recovered as police investigateAired October 23, 2026 at 5:52 AM UTCWritten October 23, 2026 at 5:56 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07Bereaved community members carried recovered bodies to government house to demand0:10answers.0:11Chief Anab Sarah Igby says five bodies have been recovered after a protest boat0:15capsized.0:16Families are still searching for relatives, and police haven't confirmed the final0:20toll.0:20What caused the boat to overturn and who was responsible for the encounter on the0:24water?0:25The boat capsized in the Robert Kiri Waterways in Kula Kingdom in Nigeria's River0:30State.0:30The community later took its appeal to Port Harcourt, where state officials promised0:34to investigate the deaths.0:36The boat was carrying more than 15 people who were protesting the removal of an oil0:40storage vessel.0:41October 20 is the date attached to the capsize, although the precise timing remains0:45unclear.0:46Sarah Igbe announced the recovery of five bodies on October 22nd.0:50Sarah Igbe's five recovered bodies are the most concrete recovery figure.0:54Community leaders separately put deaths at at least 10, with seven missing.0:59Another missing person count is five.1:02Eight people were reportedly rescued alive.1:04These figures haven't been reconciled.1:06Some people described as dead may also appear in the missing count.1:10Others have been described as feared dead, without a checked passenger list and a1:14recovery record matching names to outcomes.1:16Adding those numbers would give families a misleading picture of how many people1:19were aboard.1:20The protesters were trying to stop Anambra Bassan FSO from leaving.1:24An FSO is a floating storage and offloading vessel used by the oil industry.1:28Community members said obligations remained outstanding while the asset was being1:32removed.1:32Their grievances included an unresolved oil spill, community entitlements, and1:36alleged unpaid debts.1:38They also accused the company of failing to meet its community responsibilities.1:42Those complaints explain why people opposed the removal, but police still have to1:45determine what happened when the boats encountered one another.1:48Sarah Agube alleges a confrontation involving gunboats.1:51He also says 10 people drowned, including two security personnel.1:55A tugboat reportedly collided with a speed boat.1:57Police haven't determined how the boat overturned or confirmed that security2:01personnel death count.2:02A gunboat's presence alone doesn't identify which service controlled it.2:05Investigators still need to identify the vessels and their operators before2:08assigning responsibility.2:09Police spokesperson Agabe Blessing-Caborlo acknowledged the incident and said police2:13were investigating.2:14The force hasn't publicly confirmed the victims' names or a final death toll.2:17Max Shipping owns N.A.2:19Ambra Bassen and denies responsibility for the deaths.2:23The company also distances its chairman, Cletus Ibedo, from the recovery operation.2:28Sarah Igbee led the community's demand for state intervention after announcing the2:32recovery of bodies.2:33In its October 21 statement, signed by legal officer I.K.2:37Chidima Silvia, Max Shipping described its role as ownership and retrieval.2:42It called for an investigation and said Manal Technical Services had hired the2:46vessel.2:46Who controlled each boat during the removal still needs to be determined.2:50Sarah Igbee called the location the Robert Keary OML 25 incident.2:54Other descriptions connect the dispute with OML 55.2:58Those are different oil field references.3:00Robert Keary and Kula are consistently identified, but the precise field designation3:04remains unsettled.3:05Kula community members marched peacefully to Government House on October 22nd.3:10Carrying recovered bodies and asking the state to intervene.3:13Sarah Igbe said they wanted official action because they didn't want to take the law3:17into their own hands.3:18He said they had the capacity to react but didn't want to.3:21Sarah Igbe had announced that the bodies would go to government house and then3:25police headquarters.3:26The delegation reached government house Governor Siminalayi Fubara's chief of staff,3:31Sunny Ule, delivered the government's response, and urged the community to remain3:35calm.3:35Fubara promised that anyone found responsible would face punishment under the law.3:40He expressed sympathy for bereaved families and said his government wouldn't stand3:44by while Rivers residents suffered unnecessary deaths.3:47His promise now depends on investigators identifying who did what.3:52The cause of the capsize and responsibility remain unresolved.3:55By October 23, police were still investigating, and the search was continuing.3:59Five bodies had been reported recovered and eight people rescued alive, while4:03families were still waiting for the missing person counts to be reconciled.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗