Army Silent on Deaths of Delta Community Leaders
The Nigerian Army has declined to comment on the deaths of two leaders from the Okuama community in Delta State. Pa James Oghoroko, the President-General of Okuama, and Dennis Okugbaye, the community’s 81-year-old treasurer, both died in military custody within six days of each other.
The two men, along with four others—Prof. Arthur Ekpekpo, Chief Belvis Adogbo, Mrs. Mabel Owhemu, and Mr. Dennis Malaka—were reportedly detained by the military during an operation that took place between August 18 and 20, 2024.
Their arrests followed the killing of 17 soldiers in March 2024 during a peace mission aimed at resolving a conflict between Okuama and the neighboring Okoloba community. The deaths of Oghoroko and Okugbaye in military custody have sparked anger in Okuama, prompting community youths and women to issue a seven-day ultimatum to both the Nigerian Army and the federal government, demanding the release of the remaining detainees and the return of Pa Oghoroko’s body.
When reached for comment, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, referred the inquiry to the Army Headquarters. He said, “Kindly channel this question to the spokespersons for the army, please.”
Despite multiple attempts, calls to Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, went unanswered, and he has yet to respond to a message as of the time of this report.
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