President of Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR), Prince Kehinde Taiga, has demanded that the Nigeria military authorities should tell Nigerians how they arrived at the eight names with a monarch and professor as being mastermind of the killers of 17 officers a few weeks ago in Okuama Delta state.
Okuama, an agrarian community nestled in Ughelli south local government area of Delta state has been in the news for the very wrong reasons for the past few weeks. 17 soldiers were reportedly killed around the community, an action that has led to heavy military siege on the tiny village.
As at the time of filing this report, the community is under lock and key as no one goes in or comes out due to heavy military presence. No one can tell the level of destruction carried out by the army.
Following the killing of the 17 soldiers, the army has declared eight persons wanted, accusing them of being responsible for the murder of the officers. Among them is a monarch and kingdom president general.
Reacting to declaration of the eight persons wanted by the military high command, Taiga, a human rights activist said it is wrong and against the constitution of Nigeria for the army to declare Nigeria citizens wanted.
He quoted section 214 of the Nigeria constitution which gives power of such to the police to investigate and declare an individual who is deemed to have committed a crime wanted and not the army.
He warned that the Nigeria president, Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta state should wade in properly and resolve the matter in record time, less a crisis of higher magnitude may arise.
He reiterated his viewpoint on the fact that by virtue of the Nigeria constitution, the military has no legal power to declare anybody wanted, no matter what happens.
Speaking on phone with Emerald News, Taiga said: “It is the police through the court that is empowered to declare anybody wanted. What the army is doing is against the law. The military has their court martial where they deal with their members but not civilians.
“So, declaring Delta citizens wanted by the army is wrong and against the law. This is not justice.
“However, we waht to know the method the military used to arrive at those eight persons. How did the names get to them out of the multiple of people in Delta state? Who gave them the names? Was it an enemy that mentioned the names to them? They should tell us how they got the names.
“Was the king mentioned by his enemies because of the legal crisis to the throne? The man just came from abroad. He does not know much about the kingdom.
“Most of the people declared are not from the community but other communities within the Ewu kingdom. The president general mentioned is not from the Okuama community. I’m forced to believe that it is because of the legal battle in the kingdom that made enemies to mention the name of the king.”
On the police handing over the king who surrendered himself to the army, Prince Taiga said the commissioner of police has no business with the king.
According to him, the police did not declare him wanted neither did anybody write a petition to the police that should warrant the police investigating the king. Hence, the police had to hand him over to the army who declared him among others wanted.
He added that the king should have sought redress at the federal high court to challenge his name being on wanted list by the Nigeria army.
