The embattled traditional ruler of Ewu-Urhobo kingdom, in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, HRM Clement Ikolo, Urukpe 1, who surrendered himself to the police in Delta State on Thursday over the killings of 17 soldiers in his domain has been whisked to Abuja.
He was flown to Abuja from Asaba international airport in a commercial flight in the early hours of yesterday in company with a team of detectives led by an unnamed military officer, said to be wearing the rank of Lt. Col.
The Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, Mr. Olufemi Abaniwonda, who took custody of the monarch on Thursday night, handed him over to the Brigade Commander, 63 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Asaba, Brig. Gen. Ughochukwu Vitus Onachukwu.
Abaniwonda released the monarch to Onachukwu after proper documentations of the handing over procedures.
Thereafter, the highly distrust monarch was driven in a military motorcade to the airport into a waiting commercial aircraft, which departed Asaba airport tarmac at 9:10am.
LEADERSHIP recalls that the monarch, who had maintained his innocence, is among 8 persons declared wanted by Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Abuja, in connection with the dastard murder of the troops in his domain, on March 14th.
Okuama, the scene of the bloody masacre of the troops, is one of the 17 communities in Ewu-Urhobo kingdom in the oil-rich state under the authority of the monarch, who ascended the throne on November 16th 2024.
He was battling various opposing groups, including militants and claimants to throne to assert his authority and gain the throne before the latest development in his domain.
Seven other persons on the wanted list of DHQ in connectionwith the murder of the soldiers include the president-general of Okuama community, Prof. Ekpekpo Arthur, a notable militant kingpin in the waterways of Bayelsa and Delta State, Akevwru Daniel Omotegboro, alias Amagbein and some his Amagbein gang members, namely Reuben Baru, Malawa David, Sinclear Oliki and Adaowei Dennis Bakiri.
Curiously, a woman, identified as Igoli Ebi, was on the wanted list.
LEADERSHIP recalls that 16 soldiers, including the Commanding Officer of 118 Batallion of Nigerian Army, Bomadi, the headquarters of Bomadi LGA of Delta state, Lt. Col. A. H. Ali, Major S.D. Shafa, Major D.E. Obi and Captain U. Zakari, who were on a peace-keeping and mediatory mission in Okuama were murdered by suspected indigenes of the community in circumstances under security scrutiny.
When contacted, Abaniwonda told LEADERSHIP that the monarch has left police custody.
“My command has released the monarch this (Friday) morning to the military, which is looking for him, in the first instance. Please direct further enquiries to the military”, Abaniwonda added in a telephone interview with our correspondent.
Meanwhile, detectives from DHQ are intensifying manhunt for the remaining fleeing seven suspects.
Aside from desperate search for the killers of the soldiers in order to bring them to book in compliance with the order of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in that direction, findings by LEADERSHIP also revealed that detectives were mandated to trace and recover all the arms and ammunition snatched from the murdered soldiers by the hoodlums.
It was gathered that efforts to pick up the seven suspects were being coordinated by the Directorate of Defence Intelligence (DIA), headed Major Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye.
Investigation further showed that the deployment of detectives on the trail of the suspects was meant to compliment the ongoing cordon and search operations in the coastal communities of Bayelsa and Delta states in desperation by the authorities at DHQ to achieve results.
One of our reliable sources in the military circles in the Niger Delta told this newspaper that plain-clothes detectives have been mandated to ensure that the fleeing 7 suspects are smoked out of their hideout.
To this end, the unrelenting military operations have heightened fears among the residents of the various coastal communities in the two coastal states.
“No effort will be spared to bring the killers of our soldiers to justice. We also have the order to recover all our arms and ammunition seized from those murdered soldiers and currently in possession of their killers.
“Our mission is sanctioned has the presidential backing and there is no retreat and no surrender until we get these criminals to face justice. So currently, our troops and detectives are everywhere they need to be.
“Our appeal has always been to the community leaders and leaders of thought in these to cooperate with us to get these hoodlums to account for their actions. They should help us to bring them out. As they do that, we assure all law abiding residents to go about their lawful daily activities, without fear of molestation and intimidation,” the source, which pleaded not to be mentioned in print, said.
When contacted yesterday, Brigadier Gen. Onachukwu, who supervised the movement of the monarch to Abuja, declined comment on the fate of the traditional ruler and the on-going military operations aimed at fishing out the suspects and recover missing arms and ammunition.
Onachukwu, who was contacted on the phone by our correspondent, said that he was not competent to speak to the press on operational matters.
He directed our correspondent to the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, for enquiries on the issues.