The Nigerian Army has yet to comment on the deaths of two prominent leaders from the Okuama community in Delta State, who passed away while in military custody.
The President-General of Okuama, Pa James Oghoroko, and the community’s 81-year-old treasurer, Dennis Okugbaye, reportedly died within six days of each other after being detained by the military.
The two leaders were arrested alongside four others — Prof. Arthur Ekpekpo, Chief Belvis Adogbo, Mrs Mabel Owhemu, and Mr Dennis Malaka — during a military operation conducted between August 18 and 20, 2024.
These arrests came months after 17 soldiers on a peacekeeping mission were killed on March 14, 2024, in a conflict between Okuama and the neighbouring Okoloba community.
The deaths in custody have sparked outrage in Okuama, with community youths and women issuing a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and the Nigerian Army to release the remaining detained leaders and return Pa Oghoroko’s body.
The ultimatum reflects the community’s grief and anger, as they accuse the military of human rights violations against their leaders.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the military regarding the deaths have so far been unsuccessful.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, redirected inquiries to the Army Headquarters, stating, “Kindly channel this question to the spokespersons for the army, please.”
However, repeated calls to the Director of Army Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, went unanswered, and he has not responded to messages at the time of this report.