The troubled traditional ruler of Ewu-Urhobo kingdom in Delta State, HRM Clement Ikolo, Urukpe 1, who surrendered himself to the police in Delta State over the killings of 17 soldiers in his domain, has been transported to Abuja. He was flown from Asaba International Airport to Abuja in the early hours of the following day aboard a commercial flight, accompanied by a team of detectives led by an unnamed military officer holding the rank of Lt. Col.
The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, Mr. Olufemi Abaniwonda, who received the monarch on Thursday night, handed him over to Brig. Gen. Ughochukwu Vitus Onachukwu, the Brigade Commander, 63 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Asaba, after completing proper documentation. The monarch, despite his mistrust, was then escorted in a military motorcade to the airport and boarded a commercial aircraft departing from Asaba airport at 9:10 am.
The monarch, who maintained his innocence, is among eight individuals declared wanted by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) in connection with the murder of the troops in his domain on March 14th. Okuama, the site of the incident, is one of the 17 communities in Ewu-Urhobo kingdom under the authority of the monarch.
Apart from HRM Clement Ikolo, other wanted individuals include the president-general of Okuama community, Prof. Ekpekpo Arthur, a notable militant leader in the waterways of Bayelsa and Delta State, Akevwru Daniel Omotegboro, and several members of his Amagbein gang. A woman identified as Igoli Ebi is also on the wanted list.
Efforts to apprehend the remaining seven suspects are being intensified by detectives from DHQ, who are also tasked with recovering the arms and ammunition seized from the murdered soldiers. Major Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye, head of the Directorate of Defence Intelligence (DIA), is coordinating these efforts, which involve cordon and search operations in the coastal communities of Bayelsa and Delta states.
Plain-clothes detectives have been deployed to locate and apprehend the fleeing suspects. The ongoing military operations have heightened tensions among residents in the coastal communities, although the military assures law-abiding citizens of their safety.
Brigadier Gen. Onachukwu, who oversaw the transfer of the monarch to Abuja, declined to comment on the situation, citing operational constraints. He referred inquiries to the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu.
