Following an uproar over the death of Pa James Oghoroko and Dennis Okugbaye, two Okuama community leaders who died six days apart in army custody, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa has ordered an investigation to unravel the circumstances.
The two leaders were detained by the army in the aftermath of the killing of 15 soldiers in March 2024 in their community. Others still in detention include Prof. Arthur Ekpekpo, Belvis Adogbo, Mrs. Mabel Owhemu and Mr. Dennis Malaka. They were arrested in August when they reported at the army headquarters for questioning.
“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,” said the Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau.
