WARRI/Nigeria: The legitimacy of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s administration is facing a major test as indigenes of Okuama community in Ewu-Urhobo Kingdom, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, have cried out over the prolonged detention of their leaders by the Nigerian Army without trial.
At a press conference convened by Human Rights Advocate, Comrade Edewor Egedegbe, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Citizens Right Concern Enhancement Initiative (CRCEI), also known as the Human Rights Protection Congress, the Okuama indigenes decried what they described as a gross violation of the rights of their detained leaders and a flagrant assault on Nigeria’s democracy.
The detainees, identified as Prof. Arthur Ekpekpo, Chief Belvis Adogbo, Mr. James Oghoroko, Mr. Dennis Okugbaye, Mr. Dennis Amalaka, and Mrs. Mabel Owhemu, were arrested by military operatives between August 18 and 19, 2024. According to the community, they have been held incommunicado for a year, denied access to their lawyers, doctors, and family members, in clear contravention of their constitutional rights.
“This action of the Nigerian Army flagrantly violates the fundamental rights of the detainees, including the dignity of the human person, as guaranteed in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended),” the indigenes stated, adding that the continuous incarceration without trial makes a mockery of Nigerian democracy.
They lamented the disregard of the military authorities for the rule of law and the judicial process, insisting that sustained efforts to ensure due legal proceedings in the Okuama crisis had been frustrated.
The community expressed deep concern that President Tinubu, the National Assembly, and the Judiciary appear to be looking the other way while the military undermines the country’s democratic institutions through endless investigations outside the criminal justice framework.
The Okuama people recalled that one of the detainees, Pa James Oghoroko, died in military custody in the course of the prolonged detention, raising fresh fears about the safety and health of the remaining leaders still being held.
While reiterating that every Nigerian life is sacred and must be protected, they called for a proper investigation into the killing of the 17 servicemen along the Forcados River on March 14, 2024, which triggered the Okuama crisis.
They appealed to President Tinubu, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and Senator Ede Dafinone to intervene urgently and secure the release of the detained leaders, stressing that the military has failed to present any prima facie evidence linking them to the crime.
