Delta bloodbath: Soldiers arrest wanted don, Okuama leaders

Some men in military uniforms, on Sunday night, arrested the President General of Ewu Kingdom, Prof Arthur Ekpekpo, and two other leaders of the Okuama community, in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.

Ekpekpo was among those declared wanted by the military authorities on the heels of the Okuama crisis.

Recall that soldiers, numbering 17, who were  on a peace mission to the Okuama community, were killed on March 14, 2024.

Following the killing, the military invaded the community, forcing residents to fle to neighbouring communities and creeks.

The PUNCH gathered that Ekpekpo, who was among those declared wanted over the killing of the soldiers, was nabbed at an undisclosed location in Sapele on Sunday night, while his present whereabouts remained unknown.

It was further gathered that Chief Belvis Adogbo and Dennis Akugbaye were similarly arrested on Monday morning by armed men in plain clothes at various locations in Ughelli.

A leader of the community, who would not want his name in print because of the sensitive nature of the matter, told journalists in Warri, on Monday, that the arrests might not be unconnected to the March 14 killing of 17 military personnel around the community.

“We don’t know why our leaders are being picked up by officials suspected to be DSS operatives.” the Okuama leader said.

As of the time of filing this report, the whereabouts of the arrested persons were not known and no official statement had been released by security sources.

A senior police officer simply told journalists they were not aware of the development.

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