*Suspect Insists On Innocence
BY GODWIN IJEDIOGOR
THE Ovie of Ewu-Urhobo Kingdom in Ughelli South Local Council of Delta State, His Royal Highness, Clement Oghenerukevwe Ikolo, Urhukpe 1, who was one of the suspects declared wanted on Thursday, March 28, by the Defence Headquarters in connection with the gruesome killing of 17 officers and personnel of the Nigeria Army in Okuama community on Thursday, March 14, was handed over to the Army authorities on Thursday night, March 28.
The monarch, under whose kingdom Okuama is located, had earlier in the evening surrendered himself to the Delta State Police Command and was taken into custody by the Commissioner of Police, Abaniwonda Olufemi.
Spokesman of the Command, Bright Edafe, a Superintendent of Police (SP) confirmed on Friday morning, March 29, that “he (Ewu monarch) turned himself in and we have handed over.”
Edafe did not, however, disclose whether the monarch was handed over to the Army in Asaba or flown to Abuja.
Before his surrender, the Ovie had told a group of journalists from an undisclosed location that he was embarrassed and surprised to be included in the wanted list by the Defence Headquarters, insisting on his innocence.
He told some journalists: “I am very surprised that my name, as the monarch of the kingdom, will appear in the list of wanted persons.
“I have no hand in the killings, I have no hand in encouraging anybody to kill anybody, it is against my philosophy as a human being and my faith as a Catholic.
“It is a serious crime against humanity and they need to look at the appropriate places and do thorough investigation to know all those who have committed this and bring them to book. Let justice prevail.
“I am not a party to this and like I have said earlier, the state government is aware of the turbulence I have been going through and as I speak, an arrangement was made by the government to invite the opponents recently, just before these happenings, to invite those who are fighting me in the kingdom to reconcile the differences and allow me to go into the kingdom and start to rule as the monarch of the place.
“I have not been able to set up anything, I have not been able to set up my traditional council, I have done nothing in the kingdom.
“So, I barely know anything right now. I have no information, I know nothing. I am only just in the process of set up a structure to enable me rule in the kingdom.”
The monarch, who explained that he received his staff of office on November 16, last year, added: “It is a shock to me, because I have no hands in such things. I don’t believe in anything that has got to do with truncating the lives of human beings.
“I am not in any way, shape or form connected to this. Let it be stated clearly here that I haven’t been able to access the kingdom even as a monarch till date.”
