Dismissed Soldier Alleges Inhumane Treatment After Arrest Over Video Criticizing Politicians

A dismissed Nigerian soldier, Lance Corporal Rotimi Olamilekan, has broken his silence following his dismissal from the Nigerian Army, alleging months of harsh treatment, humiliation, and denial of basic rights after he publicly criticized political leaders for not allowing their children to serve in the military.

Olamilekan, who was arrested in February 2026 over a viral video in which he called on ministers, governors, lawmakers, and local government chairmen to send their sons to the battlefield, said in a recent video statement that his dismissal stemmed solely from exercising his freedom of speech.

“I was arrested and dismissed as a Nigerian soldier because of a video I made last year, where I called on politicians’ children to join the military,” he said.

According to Olamilekan, he was arrested at his duty post in a remote bush location in the North-East, where he had been stationed for nearly five years. He claimed that he was handcuffed on both his hands and legs and transferred across multiple detention facilities, including military formations in Maiduguri and Abuja.

“They handcuffed my legs and hands. It was as if I had stolen or killed,” he recounted.

He alleged that during his detention in Abuja, he was kept in handcuffs for over a month, fed poorly twice a day, and denied access to his phone or contact with his family. He described the food portions as insufficient, valued at less than N500 per meal.

Olamilekan stated that he was eventually charged and dismissed without being given a fair opportunity to defend himself. He said he faced four charges, all linked to the video he had posted online.

“I didn’t expect this. It shows that in our country, we don’t have freedom of speech, and we are not free to say the truth,” he lamented.

Following his dismissal, he said he was publicly marched out of the barracks in disgrace.

The soldier insisted that he had maintained a clean record throughout his eight years of service, which began in 2018. He said he had never faced any disciplinary charges prior to the incident and had never been involved in theft, violence, or misconduct.

“I spent four years and nine months in Maiduguri, and nobody spoke about it or came to change my situation,” he added, highlighting what he described as prolonged deployment without relief or recognition.

Olamilekan appealed to Nigerians and civil society organizations to support his quest for justice, stating that he had no one to fight for him.

His arrest and dismissal followed a viral video posted on his Facebook page prior to his detention, in which he emotionally spoke about losing colleagues on the battlefield. In the video, he called on top government officials including governors, senators, ministers, and local government chairmen to allow their sons to be recruited into the army to join the fight against insurgency and banditry across the country.

Efforts to reach the Nigerian Army for comments on the matter were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.