At least 10 persons are feared dead after a community boat reportedly capsized during a confrontation between residents and alleged military personnel over an oil spill at Oil Mining Lease (OML) 55 in Kula, Akuku Tory Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The Guardian gathered that the confrontation followed an oil spill allegedly linked to operations involving a businessman, Cletus Ibeto at the oil asset.

It was learnt that community members reportedly sought to halt further operations pending remediation of the affected environment and compensation.

However, the situation allegedly escalated when military personnel arrived at the scene, leading to a confrontation with youths from the community.

A community leader, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, who confirmed the incident to The Guardian, alleged that the deployment of military personnel worsened tensions and undermined efforts to resolve the dispute peacefully.

According to him, the community had been making efforts to prevent a breakdown of law and order before the military confrontation.

Sara-Igbe called on the police and other relevant security authorities to investigate the incident and establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged military operation.

He also questioned the decision to deploy military personnel to the area by Ibeto, alleging that the operation was undertaken without adequate efforts to pursue a peaceful resolution.

He said, “The confrontation occurred amid attempts by residents to resist the alleged forceful re-entry to the site , during which a community boat capsized while trying to resist them”.

He added that all the persons feared dead were male, while other details surrounding the incident remained unclear.

The Guardian could not independently verify the exact number of casualties as of the time of filing this report.

There was no immediate response from the military or other relevant authorities to the allegations.

Further details, including the identities of the missing persons, the exact circumstances of the confrontation were still being established.

However, it was learnt that rescue operations are currently only going and the casualties would be brought to Port HarCourt on Wednesday.