Family Drags Military, Gov Oborevwori Over Okuama Community Treasurer’s Death In Detention

• Says military collected N140,000 to transport late octogenarian for medical treatment

Deep in mourning over the unfortunate death of 81-year-old Pa Dennis Okugbaye, their patriarch and Treasurer of the Okuama community in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, the family is unhappy and now dragging the Nigerian Army and Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori over the incident.

The octogenarian reportedly died in military detention on December 10, 2024, in mysterious circumstances with Governor Oborevwori and the Military authorities maintaining inexplicable silence more than seven days after his sudden death.

Preferring anonymity for obvious security reasons, family insiders disclosed the sum of N140,000 was paid to the Military as requested to fuel the vehicle meant to transport their sick father from Port Harcourt to Asaba in Delta State for medical treatment.

The insiders said what they later heard was that Pa Okugbaye allegedly died on the way as he was being transported by some Military officers from Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, to 63 Brigade, Asaba in Delta State.

One of them volunteered thus; “We were told that our father is very sick and we should send N140,000 to buy fuel to transport him to Asaba so that we (the family) can take him to hospital. We sent the money and were told to come to 63 Brigade, Asaba to receive our father on Monday, December 9.

“They warned us that only his daughter would receive him. On Monday morning, we came to Asaba, and then our sister moved to the Military barrack, 63 Brigade, Asaba, to receive him but she was there till around 5 pm, no signal.

“We informed some of our leaders, including Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, of the development. We went back home, it was on Tuesday when we were calling to know the next step that we were told that our father died on the road when they were about to come.

“Regrettably, as we are talking now about seven days after they claimed our father and patriarch died while being taken for the so-called medical treatment, neither the Military authorities nor the governor have communicated to us formally on the sad development.”

As things stand now, Pa Okugbaye’s death is coming barely a week after the Community President General, Pa James Oghoroko, also died mysteriously in military detention. The Okuama Community leaders, Pa Oghoroko (now deceased), Pa Okugbaye (now deceased), Prof Arthur Ekpekpo, Chief Belvis Adogbo, Mrs Mabel Owhemu, and Mr Dennis Malaka, were all arrested by the Nigerian Army between 18th and 20th August 2024.

They have been kept incommunicado in detention without trial following the unfortunate killing of 17 soldiers on a peace mission to resolve the crisis between Okuama and Okoloba communities on March 14, 2024.

Meanwhile, reacting to the latest development, a social critic, Mr Zik Gbemre, has called out Governor Oborevwori for failing in his duty as the Delta state Chief executive to call the Army to order over what he described as “systematic and deliberate elimination” of respected Okuama Community Leaders.

Gbemre said in a statement made available to the media that the reported death of two leaders of the Okuama community in military detention and the fear for the lives of four others still being held unlawfully have further exposed the worsening institutional failures in Delate State and Nigeria at large.

According to him; “Oborevwori shying away from his duty to call the Army to order in gross abuse of power in the state is very bad and shameful as the chief security officer of the state. In the last couple of days, what is happening in Delta is appalling, very shameful, and inciting”.