Military orders probe into Okuama leaders’ death in custody

The military high command has ordered a thorough investigation into the death of two Okuama community leaders, Pa James Oghoroko and Dennis Okugbaye, reportedly in army’s custody.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, who ordered the probe on Monday, expressed dissatisfaction about development, adding they would get to the root of the matter and make the findings public.

Daily Trust reports that Oghoroko, the President-General of Okuama community, and 81-year-old Okugbaye, the community’s treasurer, reportedly died six days apart after being detained by the military in the South South zone of the country.

The duo, along with four others — Prof. Arthur Ekpekpo, Chief Belvis Adogbo, Mrs. Mabel Owhemu, and Mr. Dennis Malaka — were arrested during a military operation conducted between August 18 and 20, 2024.

• FEC renames UniAbuja as Yakubu Gowon University
• Dalung: How cabals hijacked power after Buhari’s victory in 2015

The arrests followed the killing of 17 soldiers on March 14, 2024, during a peace mission aimed at resolving a dispute between Okuama and the neighbouring Okoloba community.

Speaking to journalists on the matter for the first time, the Director, Defence Information, Tukur Gusau, a Brigadier-General, stated that the Chief of Defence Staff had directed the 6th Division of the Nigerian Army to investigate the allegations and submit a report by Monday.

Gusau, who responded to a question during the Strategic Communications Interagency Policy Committee end-of-year briefing said, “Regarding allegations of deaths in detention over the weekend, headlines surfaced suggesting that individuals detained in connection with the Okuama incident had died.

“Immediately, the CDS directed an investigation to be conducted by the 6 Division. Any moment from now, we expect the findings on whether the claims are true or not. For now, these remain allegations.  We are committed to uncovering the truth, and by tomorrow, we will have more details.”