Okuama: Traditional ruler in custody opens up on killing of soldiers in Delta

HRM Clement Ikolo Oghenerukevwe, the traditional ruler of the Ewu kingdom in Delta State's Ughelli South Local Government Area, has denied involvement in the deaths of 17 soldiers in the Okuama Community.

Allnews.ng gathered that Oghenerukevwe was brought into custody by the Delta State Police Command after the military high command proclaimed him wanted on Thursday morning. 

The king, along with Ewu's president general, Prof Ekpekpo Arthur, and six others, were proclaimed wanted for allegedly killing 17 troops, including their commanding officer.

However, before surrendering to the authorities, the traditional king allegedly spoke to the media during a news conference.

A statement by the traditional in the briefing read, “I am very surprised that my name as the monarch of the kingdom will appear in the list of wanted persons.

“I have no hand in the killings. I have no hand in encouraging anybody to kill anybody. It is against my philosophy as a human being and my faith as a Catholic.

“It is a serious crime against humanity, and they need to look at the appropriate places and do a thorough investigation to know all those who have committed this and bring them to book and let justice prevail

"I am not a party to this, and as I have said earlier, the state government is aware of the turbulence I have been going through, and as I speak, an arrangement was made by the government to invite the opponents recently just before these happenings.

“To invite those who are fighting me in the kingdom to reconcile the differences and allow me to go into the kingdom and start to rule as the monarch of the place.

“I have not been able to set up anything. I have not been able to set up my traditional council. I have done nothing in the kingdom.

“So I barely know anything right now. I have no information. I know nothing; I am only just in the process of setting up a structure to enable me to rule in the kingdom.”