It has been one week since family and community announced the death of James Oghoroko, President-General of the Okuama community in Delta State, in military custody, and two days since Dennis Okugbaye, the community’s 81-year-old treasurer, passed away under similar circumstances. Yet, the Nigerian Army has maintained silence, sparking outrage and demands for justice.
Oghoroko died on December 2 after spending about three months in military detention. Community members blamed severe torture and poor conditions in detention for his demise.
READ MORE: Army Silent Following News of Okuama Leader’s Death in Its Custody
Days later, on December 10, Okugbaye’s death was reported for the same reason. According to a report by The Punch, Okugbaye’s death was disclosed by Akpos Okugbaye, his son, on Tuesday.
Sahara Reporters revealed that the family had spent over N401,000 on medical care in Okugbaye’s final days.
Repeated attempts to get comments from Onyema Nwachukwu, the Army’s spokesperson, have yielded no response. On Thursday, FIJ learnt that the spokesperson was not available to react to official matters. No other officer stood in for Nwachukwu.
FIJ attempted to get reactions from the Nigerian Army through the Ministry of Defence’s contact form and email address. However, messages sent through both channels had received no response at press time.
The Army has also not issued any official statement since Oghoroko’s death was first announced on December 2.
READ MORE: Okuama Resident Who Said Slain Soldiers Were Not for Peacekeeping on Army’s Wanted List
BACKGROUND
The deaths follow months of conflict between Okuama and Okoloba, its neighbouring community, over a protracted dispute. The crisis escalated on March 14 when 17 soldiers, including Colonel Abdullahi Hassan Alli, were gruesomely murdered in Okuama.
In retaliation, the military raided and demolished parts of the community, declaring it a military zone and restricting access. Oghoroko and Okugbaye were arrested alongside four other community leaders in a step to investigate the deaths of the military officials.
READ MORE: Why Declaring 8 People Wanted for Okuama Massacre Puts Nigerian Army in Contempt of Court
Since their arrests between August 18 and 20, the detained Okuama leaders have been held without trial.
In September, Oghoroko and Okugbaye filed lawsuits against the Nigerian Army and the Department of State Services (DSS), seeking damages for illegal detention. A Federal High Court in Warri is still considering their cases.
The Punch reported that the community residents staged a protest and issued an ultimatum to the Nigerian Army to release all of the arrested leaders. Ohwotake Otiero, a community elder, has asked for the remains of the community leaders who were reported to have died in detention.
“We want the corpse and those detained to be released immediately. We will take the laws into our hands because we have been pushed to the wall. Why should our P-G be killed through torture?”
The post Army Silent One Week After Two Okuama Deaths in Detention appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.