ABUJA, Nigeria – In a significant development following the tragic incident in the Okuama Community of Delta State, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has officially declared eight individuals wanted.
This list includes a notable academic, Prof. Ekpekpo Arthur, and a woman, Mrs. Igoli Ebi, among others, for their alleged involvement in the brutal killing of 17 soldiers and officers.
Major-General Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, announced this during a press briefing at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
The announcement did not specify any bounty for the capture of these individuals but underscored the urgency of their apprehension.
This call for public assistance in locating the suspects comes in the aftermath of a solemn ceremony where President Bola Tinubu honoured the fallen military personnel. The deceased, confirmed by the DHQ as comprising a Lieutenant Colonel, two Majors, a Captain, and 13 soldiers, were ambushed and killed by irate youths on March 14, 2024.
The fallen soldiers were responding to a distress call amid a communal crisis between Okuama and Okoloba communities.
The soldiers, who were part of the 181 Amphibious Battalion based in Bomadi Local Government Area, were laid to rest at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja.
President Tinubu, alongside top government and military officials, attended the burial, conferring posthumous national honors on the 17 soldiers in a gesture of respect and remembrance.
During the burial ceremony, President Tinubu also announced welfare measures for the families of the slain soldiers, including the provision of housing and full educational scholarships.
Major-General Buba’s briefing emphasised the need for collaboration from stakeholders and traditional rulers, especially in the Niger Delta region, to assist the military in capturing those declared wanted.
