Delta monarch declared wanted by military surrenders to police

The monarch of Ewu kingdom in Delta State, Clement Ikolo Oghenerukeywe, declared wanted by the Nigerian military in connection with the killing of 17 army personnel, has turned himself in to the police.

This is coming hours after the military declared Ikolo and seven others wanted for the incident that occurred in the Okuama community in Ughelli South local government area of the state on March 14, 2024.

Reports said the monarch arrived at the Delta State Police Command headquarters at exactly 6:41 pm on Thursday to report himself to Police Commissioner Olufemi Abaniwonda.

Before turning himself in, Ikolo spoke to journalists, insisting on his innocence in the matter.

The Delta State Police Command, through its Spokesman, Bright Edafe, has confirmed that they have the wanted monarch in custody.

Among those declared wanted on Thursday is Ekpekpo Arthur, listed as a professor of Solid State Physics in the Department of Physics on the official website of Delta State University.

Others are Igoli Ebi, Reuben Baru, Akata Malawa David, Sinclear Oliki, Andaowei Dennis Bakriri and Akevwru Daniel Omotegbo (Aka Amagben).

While announcing the names, Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations said no bounty was placed on the wanted persons.

He called on stakeholders and traditional rulers in the Niger Delta region to help the military in fishing out the wanted persons.

Names of the slain soldiers

The 17 military personnel killed included Lt.-Col. Ali, Maj. D.E Obi, Maj. S.D. Ashafa, Capt. U. Zakari, Staff Sgt. Yahaya Saidu, Corporal Danbaba Yahaya, Corporal Kabir Bashir, Lance Corporal Abdullahi Ibrahim, Lance Corporal Bulus Haruna, Lance Corporal Sole Opeyemi, and Lance Corporal Bello Anas.

The rest are Private Alhaji Isah, Private Clement Francis, Private Abubakar Ali, Private Adamu Ibrahim, Private Hamman Peter, and Private Ibrahim Adamu.

The slain soldiers were laid to rest at the National Cemetery, Abuja on Wednesday, March 27, 2024.