Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has ordered a thorough investigation into the deaths of Pa James Ogboroko and Dennis Okugbaye, two community leaders from Okuama, who reportedly died while in Army custody.
The directive was announced by General Christopher Musa, the Director of Defence Information, during the year-end briefing of the Strategic Communications Interagency Policy Committee.
“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 Brigadier General Gusau.
Ogboroko and Okugbaye were among several individuals, including Professor Arthur Ekpekpo, Chief Belvis Adogbo, Mrs Mabel Owhemu, and Mr Dennis Malaka, arrested after the killing of 17 soldiers in Okuama in August.
The soldiers had been deployed to restore peace between Okuama and Okoloba, two warring communities in Delta State’s Ughelli South Local Government Area.
The deaths of the two leaders, occurring six days apart in a military facility, have plunged the Okuama community into mourning. Residents have expressed outrage, with many threatening to stage protests to demand accountability.
