BREAKING: Army releases Delta monarch detained over soldiers’ killing
The Nigerian Army has released the traditional ruler, Clement Ikolo, earlier declared wanted and arrested over the gruesome murder of 17 soldiers in Delta State on 14 March 2024.
The monarch was declared wanted by the Defence Headquarters alongside seven others for alleged involvement in the act.
He was released to Senator Ede Dafianone who stood surety.
Ikolo was released during a brief at Army Headquarters by the Director, Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu.
Three weeks ago, the monarch surrendered himself to the Police after holding a press conference.
At the press briefing, Ikolo said “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. They need to look at the appropriate places and do thorough investigation to know all those who committed this, bring them to book and 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.
“(The arrangement was) 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”.
Recall that the tragic event where troops from the 181 Amphibious Battalion, stationed in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State, were ambushed and killed on March 14, 2024, while on a peacekeeping mission in Okuoma Community.
The incident unfolded as the troops answered a distress call stemming from a communal conflict between Okuoma and Okoloba communities in Delta State, sparking widespread outrage across the country.
The fallen soldiers were laid to rest at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja on Wednesday, with President Bola Tinubu and other prominent government officials in attendance, paying their respects to the deceased.
