Residents of Okuama community in the Ewu-Urhobo Kingdom, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, have raised concerns over the continued detention of their leaders by the Nigerian Army without being formally charged or tried.
Speaking at a press conference organized by Human Rights Advocate Comrade Edewor Egedegbe, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Citizens Right Concern Enhancement Initiative (CRCEI), also known as the Human Rights Protection Congress, indigenes of Okuama condemned what they called a serious violation of their detained leaders’ rights and a blatant attack on Nigeria’s democratic values.
The detainees — Prof. Arthur Ekpekpo, Chief Belvis Adogbo, Mr. James Oghoroko, Mr. Dennis Okugbaye, Mr. Dennis Amalaka, and Mrs. Mabel Owhemu — were reportedly arrested by military personnel between August 18 and 19, 2024. According to the community, they have been held incommunicado for an entire year, without access to their lawyers, doctors, or family members — a clear violation of their constitutional rights.
They expressed frustration over the military’s disregard for the rule of law and due process, saying that ongoing efforts to pursue legal resolution in the Okuama crisis have been consistently obstructed.
The community also voiced serious concern that President Tinubu, the National Assembly, and the Judiciary seem to be turning a blind eye, while the military continues to sideline the nation’s democratic institutions by conducting endless investigations outside the bounds of the criminal justice system.
The Okuama people recalled that one of the detainees, Pa James Oghoroko, died while in military custody during the extended detention period, heightening concerns about the well-being and safety of the remaining leaders still being held.
They emphasized that every Nigerian life is valuable and must be safeguarded, and they called for a thorough investigation into the killing of the 17 servicemen along the Forcados River on March 14, 2024 — the incident that sparked the Okuama crisis.
They urged President Tinubu, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and Senator Ede Dafinone to step in quickly and ensure the release of the detained leaders, emphasizing that the military has yet to provide any clear evidence connecting them to the crime.
Read akso: Continuous detention of Okuama leaders heightens trauma, fear in community
