It is 2 years plus since the brutal ambush and killing of 17 Nigerian Army personnel purportedly on a peace mission to Okuama community, in March 2024. The aftermath of that catastrophe was a military reprisal that levelled Okuama to rubbles, and detaining of some leaders of the community, and others, including Ewu Development Forum President, Professor Arthur Ekpekpo; Chief Belvis Adogbo; Dennis Amalaka; Mabel Owhemu; and James Oghorokor who reportedly died in military detention facility.
Trailing Okuama’s ordeal are concerns of Nigerians about the continuous detention of the Okuama leaders and others by the army. This is worsened by the blunt refusal of the army authority to heed several orders from the Federal High Court sitting in Warri Delta State that those in their custody be produced in court.
To further the discussion on the recurring worrisome Okuama situation and bring the public up to speed to understanding the trauma the displaced Okuama people are going through after more than two years their community was sacked by the army, and also shed light on the state of Okuama leaders in detention, the Secretary-General of Ewu Clan Development Forum, Amb. Edewor Egedegbe, speaking on the update on Okuama, on a TV programme, “Niger Delta Today” of Advocate Broadcasting Network (ADBN) did a deep dive into the Okuama imbroglio in a fair and concise manner, detailing the challenges and the twists in the Nigerian governance system as it borthers on protection of the rights of Okuama people, including the vexing narratives clogging the call for the rights of the Okuama detainees to fair hearing in a competent court of law as permitted in a democratic government. But not the use of military-style trials as a primary judicial tool in a democracy that often violates fundamental rights and international legal standards. Excerpts:
Q: Two years after the army invasion of Okuama community, the aggrieved people of Okuama are threatening to boycott the 2026 election if their leaders are not released from detention. What is the state of Okuama and its people?
Egedegbe: The living condition of Okuama people is very pathetic after 2 years plus, that the community was invaded by the Nigeria Army. Recall that 17 army personnel purportedly on peace mission were killed in Okuama under circumstances that are yet to be unravelled. The aftermath of that catastrophe, was the invasion of Okuama community by the army and reducing it to rubbles with attendant death of many Okuama people.
2 years after, there is not much to say in terms of the people receiving succour from the government to start their lives again. To them, their situation is more of a conquered people.
In short, all verifiable data point to the facts that Okuama is being treated like a conquered territory. However, the people are resilient and they believe that in near future, they will bounce back to life. On that note, they are making efforts to forge ahead, but under very deplorable living conditions. Truth is, they are crying that government has neglected them.
However, after our meeting with the governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, in May 2024. He did promise to rebuild the community. He started with primary school and health centre projects which were completed last year (2025). But these facilities are yet to be equipped with the necessary facilities to make them functional.
So, all efforts made by us to meet with the governor to tell him thank you for the effort he had made, and ask for more assistance have proved abortive. To be precise, since December 2024, we, the people of Ewu Clan Development Forum of Ewu Kingdom wrote to seek audience with the Governor and thank him for the effort he had already made to build a primary school, secondary school, a health centre and a Hall with over 40 rooms where most of the displaced Okuama people are currently residing, but we have not been granted the opportunity to see him. So, for us as a people going through this horrible trauma, we’re constrained to say that since government is for the people, and we are meted with this awful treatment, we don’t know if our people have been ostracized and the right of every Nigerian citizen to the dignity of the human person as guaranteed by the 1999 constitution is no longer applicable to Okuama people.
In summary, the Okuama people are feeling alienated but they put their hope in God that someday their cries will be heeded and their livelihoods resuscitated. It is a pitiable situation indeed!
On the issue of protecting the rights of Okuama people, arising from that unfortunate incident, l will say that not much is being done by the government in this regard.
A recall of our kinsmen that are languishing in military detention facilities is a pointer to this fact. It is painful to say that the President-General of Ewu Clan Development Forum, Prof. Arthur Ekpekpor and others in detention were arrested by the army on 18th and 19th of August, 2024, 20 months now. We don’t have access to them, their wives, Doctors and family members don’t have access to them. While in incarceration, Prof. Arthur Ekpokpo lost his eldest daughter, a lecturer at Delta State University, Abraka. Worse still, we have lost the President of Okuama Community, James Oghorokor in military detention facility and as l speak, we don’t know the state of the health of others who are still in detention at the military facilities.
The most surprising, l must say, is that a court order was given last year by a Federal High Court, Warri, mandating the military to produce the Okuama people in their custody in court, but the army authority didn’t honour the court order. Despite repeated orders from the court to the army, they remained adamant. Then, you imagine if this could happen in our democratic government.
In fact, as the situation stands, we don’t know where to situate the Okuama imbroglio, because it seems the laws are meant to be obeyed in parts of Nigeria but roundly disregarded in other parts of the country. It’s a very pathetic and worrisome situation, to say the least.
Q: There are concerns that Okuama community leaders and others have remained in military detention more than 2 years. What is the feedback you have been able to get from those in detention and how many of them are still in detention?
Egedegbe: There is no feedback from the institution of government that put the Okuama leaders in detention.
In the same vein, all attempts we have made to reach out to the governor of Delta State to express our concern to him were futile. That is the most worrisome to me. Truth is, government cum leadership is about empathy. As the situation of Okuama people ramains pathetic, we need to talk to the people in charge of government because we are under the government. As a bonafide citizen, if there are issues, just as we have in Okuama, who do we cry to? Is it not the government? But as it is now, we don’t have access to our government as l speak. If you (ADBN journalist) can help us to gain access to the government, please offer us that help. We want to talk to the governor of Delta State, RT. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, he should grant us audience. Not doing that will amount to undermining the plights of the people of Okuama. We are saying to the governor, grant us access to talk to you. Our people are in detention, we don’t have access to them. The army, which by law doesn’t have the right to continuously hold Okuama people in their detention facilities, just as it doesn’t have right to prosecute them, is perpetually keeping our people in detention and doesn’t not grant us the privilege to see them. It is right to say that if the governor can have access to them, let him tell us what the authority is saying about this matter.
On the other hand, if there’s a prima facie evidence against our people – Prof. Arthur Ekpekpor, Chief Belvis Adogbo, Dennis Amalaka, and Mabel Owemu – one of them, James Oghoroko reportedly died in detention, let the army produce them in court to face their charges and allow rule of law to take its course in this lingering matter.
So, what l am saying is let us get an update on our people, but we are not getting it. We are really worried about this about this development. There is not much we can say other than to tell the public through your broadcasting outlet the true plight of our people who live in a pitiable Okuama Community. In short, our people are living in trenches, there is no doubt about that.
It will surprise you to hear that the hall with more than 40 rooms built by the governor of Delta State in collaboration with the chairman of Ughelli South LGA, is where over a thousand people are resting their heads. You can imagine the horrible situation they are faced with. I’m candidly requesting that you go with your camera to Okuama community to see the state of things. Let me re-emphasize that apart from the thatch houses standing in the community which serve as home to some people, the rest of the Okuama people are residing in that one Hall that the government had built. The primary school that has been built has no chairs to commence teaching, so, the children of Okuama have not gone to school since 2 years for no fault of theirs, and we say we are in a democracy?
I do know that things can be done better. I am calling on the governor of Delta State and other paraphernalia of government to know that the essence of government is to protect lives and property, not the other way round. Anything less than that is unacceptable in a democratic setting. We are not in a military rule where dictatorship is the order of the day. We are crying and telling the Nigerian government headed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, the senators, and members of the House of Representatives, that they have not done us well, to say the least. They may have tried their best, but it is not good for us.
In short, we are taken aback that our people are languishing in military detention facilities for 20 months for a matter that is already in court. Even an order of court has been given severally and served the respective agencies of government and they chose to be adamant. Such show of disregard to the court leaves a lot to be desired in a democratic system.
Q: Could you re-echoe what the spirit is like in Okuama? What are the immediate expectations of the Okuama people?
Egedegbe: Simply put, the expectations on the faces of the people of Okuama is to see the government come to their aid. Today, Okuama is almost becoming a history, a narrative we strongly don’t want. The Okuama people are calling on the government to come to their aid, rebuild Okuama. First and foremost, release Okuama leaders that are in military detention facilities for what they know nothing about. But, if the army have proofs that Okuama leaders are complicit in the matter, let them take them through appropriate legal channel and prosecute them in court, but not to keep them in detention in perpetuity. One has died, another one was at the point of death before he was released to a senator, we don’t know the state of others. So, we want them released at the earliest time possible, or if they are bent on trying them, let the police take over the case and prosecute them in a competent court of law.
At this juncture, let me set the record straight. Out of the five persons in detention, two are not connected to Okuama. One of them, Dennis Amalaka is a tenant of the President of Okuama, James Oghorokor who is now deceased. Dennis was arrested alongside Oghorokor, at the latter’s compound where he (Dennis) lives. Also, Mabel Owemu was arrested alongside Prof. Arthur Ekpekpor. Those from Okuama are the President General of Ewu Clan Development Forum, Prof. Arthur Ekpekpor, Chief Belvis Adogbo, and James Oghorokor, now deceased.
