The President-General of Ewu Kingdom in Delta State, Professor Arthur Ekpekpo, has been arrested in Sapele by individuals reportedly dressed in military uniforms, The Nation has learned.
Ekpekpo, a respected Professor of Solid State Physics at Delta State University, Abraka, and a member of several scientific associations, including the Nigeria Institute of Physics, the Nigeria Association of Mathematical Physics, and the Science Association of Nigeria (SAN), was declared wanted by the military following the killing of 17 soldiers in Okuama.
In addition to Ekpekpo, two other leaders from Okuama, Chiefs Belvis Adogbo and Dennis Akugbaye, both members of the Okuama Vanguard, were arrested by agents of the Department of State Services (DSS) at different locations in Ughelli.
According to an anonymous Okuama leader, these arrests are likely connected to the March incident that resulted in the deaths of the soldiers. However, the community is unclear on the exact reasons for the arrests, which were reportedly carried out by DSS operatives.
These developments come at a time when peace is gradually returning to Okuama, a community that was devastated in March this year by a reprisal attack from the Nigerian Army after unknown gunmen murdered several soldiers near the area. The state government has been making efforts to resettle those displaced by the violence.
