The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has ordered an in-depth investigation into the deaths of two prominent community leaders from Okuama, Pa James Oghoroko and Dennis Okugbaye, while in military custody.
Oghoroko, who served as the President-General of Okuama, and the 81-year-old Okugbaye, the community’s treasurer, died within six days of each other after being detained by the military.
The two men, along with four others — Prof. Arthur Ekpekpo, Chief Belvis Adogbo, Mrs. Mabel Owhemu, and Mr. Dennis Malaka — were arrested during a military operation between August 18 and 20, 2024, following the deadly ambush on March 14, 2024, which resulted in the deaths of 17 soldiers.
The soldiers were part of a peace mission aimed at resolving a long-standing conflict between Okuama and the neighboring Okoloba community.
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Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, the Director of Defence Information, confirmed that General Musa has directed the 6th Division of the Nigerian Army to conduct a thorough investigation into the deaths and present a report by Monday.
Speaking during the Strategic Communications Interagency Policy Committee end-of-year briefing, Gusau said, “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.”
