Fubara vows justice for 10 killed in Kula, warns against reprisals

By Katherine Abayomi

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has pledged to uncover the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 10 persons in Kula Community, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, assuring that anyone found culpable will face the full weight of the law while warning residents against reprisal attacks.

Fubara gave the assurance on Thursday when residents of Kula Community staged a peaceful march to Government House, Port Harcourt, to protest the killings and seek the state government’s intervention.

The governor, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Barr. Sunny Ewule, sympathised with the bereaved families and urged the community to remain calm and resist any temptation to take the law into their own hands.

Ewule assured the protesters that the government would ensure that those allegedly involved in the incident were brought to justice, stressing that the loss of human lives was a serious matter that would not be treated lightly.

According to him, the state government would not relent in its efforts to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident and ensure that justice was served.

“We want to sympathise with the Kula Community and the bereaved families. Anybody who is involved in this incident or found culpable for whatever happened will definitely pay for it according to the law.

“We are not going to sit by and allow Rivers indigenes to go through this type of unnecessary death,” he said.

Earlier, the leader of the Kula Community delegation, High Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe, said the visit to Government House was to formally report the incident to the governor and seek urgent government intervention.

Sara-Igbe explained that the community chose to pursue a peaceful approach by bringing its grievances before the government rather than resorting to violence.

“It is proper we inform him (Fubara) because we don’t want to take the law into our hands. We have the capacity to react, but we don’t want to react,” he said.