Army Takes Custody Of Arrested Delta Monarch

The Delta State Police Command has handed over the arrested traditional ruler of Ewu kingdom in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, HRM Clement Ikolo Oghenerukevwe, to the Nigerian military.

It was learned that the suspect was escorted to the Asaba Airport by the Commanding Officer, 63 Brigade Nigeria Army, Asaba, the Delta State Commissioner of Police and other senior military officers.

The monarch, accompanied by a combined team of military officers and the police as well as personal aides, later boarded an commercial aircraft and the plane departed the tarmac of Asaba Airport at about 9:10am to Abuja.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the development to reporters on Friday morning.

Edafe stated that the Nigerian Army had taken the Delta monarch into custody and had moved him to Abuja for further investigation.

He said: “Yes, I can confirm to you that the wanted Traditional Ruler has been handed over to military authorities.

He had earlier confirmed that Oghenerukevwe had been taken into police custody after he was declared wanted by the military high command on Thursday morning alongside seven others over the alleged killing of 17 army officers and soldiers.

The Delta police spokesman said Oghenerukevwe, the Urhukpe I of Emu Kindom, turned himself in on Thursday evening.

But shortly before surrendering to the police, the traditional ruler addressed the media, saying that he had no hand in the murder of the army personnel.

He said: “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 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 this happenings.”