Nigerian Army accused of detaining community leaders for one year without trial

Indigenes of the Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State have lamented the continuous detention of their leaders by the Nigerian Army without trial, one year after their arrest.

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In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday, the group called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene to restore the fundamental human rights of their community leaders.

Backstory

This newspaper in March last year reported how suspected residents of the Okuama community ambushed and murdered the Commanding Officer of 181 Army Amphibious Battalion, two majors, one captain, and 13 soldiers.

The soldiers were reportedly on a mission to restore peace between the warring communities in the area – Okuama and Okoloba, when they were ambushed and killed.

A day after the alleged killing, the Okuama community was attacked, and many houses were razed, with many people blaming the military, an allegation the military denied.

Then-Director of Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, had said as long as the dispute between the Okuama and Okoloba communities remains, it “implies that there could be untoward activities not initiated by the military.”

“Overall, there is no doubt that this (killing of the soldiers) is an extremely sad development and untoward activity by members of the Okuama community against troops that were there to protect them,” Mr Buba had said.

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Several people, including traditional rulers and politicians, were arrested in the incident, with some released.

Indigenes seek justice

At a press conference held on Monday, indigenes of the community drew the attention of the public to the continuous detention of their leaders, calling on the president to protect the detainees’ right to a fair hearing.

The text of the press briefing was sent to PREMIUM TIMES by Human Rights Advocate and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Citizens Right Concern Enhancement Initiative, Edewor Egedegbe.

“The indigenes of Okuama noted with concern that six leaders of their community, Prof Arthur Ekpekpo, Chief Belvis Adogbo, Mr James Oghoroko, Dennis Okugbaye, Dennis Amalaka, and Mrs Mabel Owhemu, who were arrested by military men between August 18 & 19, 2024, have been in military custody for a year now, and their rights to a fair hearing in a competent court of law have been grossly and steadily violated by the Nigerian Army, which also deprives them access to their doctors, lawyers, and family members.

“The indigenes of Okuama community noted that the action of the Nigerian Army flagrantly violates the fundamental rights of the detainees, including the dignity of a human person as guaranteed in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”

The indigenes frowned at the blatant disregard for the rule of law by the military authorities, adding that sustained efforts to commit the military to due legal process in the Okuama incident have not yielded results.

“It would be recalled that one of the detainees, Pa James Oghorokor, had died in military custody in the endless wait for justice, prompting the indigenes to express fear over the state of health of other detainees,” the statement said.

While calling for a thorough investigation into the alleged killing of the 17 soldiers in the area on 14 March 2024, which led to the Okuama crisis, the indigenes reiterated the sanctity of the life of every Nigerian as guaranteed by the constitution.

They are appealing to President Tinubu, Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, to facilitate the release of the community leaders because the military has not presented any evidence linking the detainees to involvement in the alleged crime.

The spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, 63 Brigade, Delta State, Ilayasu Bawa, promised to investigate it and get back. He did not, however, respond to calls for an update on his investigation at the time of filing this report.

Charles Aniagwu, the commissioner for public communication in Delta State, when contacted, said he was about to board a flight, and could not comment on the issue.