By TruthNigeria Staff
(Makurdi) They accuse Nigerian troops of assaulting and detaining community members who say they were defending their villages against armed Islamic Fulani Ethnic militia (IFEM) attacks.
The victims include Christian youth volunteers and traditional leaders from Apa and Agatu counties who allege that soldiers attached to Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), a military task force, used torture and prolonged detention and, in one case, killed a detainee.
The allegations raise questions about civilian protection, military accountability and the treatment of local residents in communities facing repeated security threats.
Youth Volunteer Dies After Military Arrest
On April 5, 2025, Ernest Owoicho, an unarmed youth volunteer from Apa County, was arrested by OPWS personnel over alleged involvement in fighting Fulani militia, according to the Daily Post.
Owoicho died the following day, April 6, after what was reported as torture in military custody. The incident prompted condemnation from the Federal Lawmaker representing Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency, Hon. Ojotu Ojema.
A similar confrontation occurred on June 4, 2026, along Adija Road in Apa County, following the killing of three Christian residents in Ikobi two days earlier.
According to a report by TruthNigeria, OPWS personnel confronted young men carrying locally made firearms who said they were heading to repel an attack. The soldiers allegedly disarmed and beat members of the group, injuring volunteer commander Olowo Otache and his younger brother.
‘The Military Is After My Life’— Apa Youth Volunteer Commander
Olowo Otache says the June confrontation has left him afraid to return home, separated from his family and uncertain about his safety.
Speaking in an interview with TruthNigeria correspondent in an undisclosed location, the volunteer commander appealed to civil society organizations and the international community for intervention.
“I cannot visit my home in Apa Local Government Area because the military is after me. They tried to end my life in June this year, but God saved me,”
“My wife and children are hungry, but I can’t visit them. The only offense I committed was to repel Fulani militia attacks on our rural communities.”
He further alleged that armed Fulani terrorists enjoyed protection within Nigeria’s security establishment.
“Please, I am calling on civil society organizations and the international community to speak out, come to my rescue and protect me,” Otache told TruthNigeria
Village Chief Alleges Two Months of Torture
Abu Idakwo, the village head of Ole’G’Inaigwu community in Agatu County’s Usha precinct, said OPWS personnel arrested him on April 28, 2025, at approximately 2 p.m.
Idakwo alleged that the soldiers accused him of stealing 60 cattle from a Fulani settlement along the Ogam–Ole’G’Inaigwu road.
He said he was detained and tortured by beating with wire for approximately two months before authorities released him after determining, according to his account. Idakwo denied that cattle had been stolen and that a Fulani settlement existed at the location in question.
“They accused me of rustling 60 Fulani cows. They tortured me for two months until they found out that no cattle had been rustled,” Idakwo told TruthNigeria.
Community Paid ₦1.3 Million before my Release”– Youth Commander
Ajene Eheda, a youth volunteer commander from Ogbangede community in Agatu County’s Enungba precinct, also alleged that soldiers arrested and tortured him over cattle-rustling accusations.
Eheda said OPWS personnel arrested him at approximately 2:30 a.m. on April 28, 2025, and detained him at the 72 Special Battalion and tortured him with gun butts.
“I was tortured for two months with gun butts until a sum of ₦1.3 million was paid before my release,” he told TruthNigeria
Eheda, who attributed the payment to efforts to secure his freedom, alleged that accusations of cattle theft were repeatedly used against local youths.
Similarly, another victim of military brutality from Obagaji village, Bameyi Agbo (also known as Old Soldier), accused the military of disabling him.
“I was travelling out of Obagaji that fateful day when a van of military men from Operation Whirl Stroke accosted my motorbike and tortured me. I can no longer walk with my legs, this is why I am using clutches”, Bameyi told TruthNigeria
Broader Concerns About Military Accountability
However, Capt Owoicho Aboh, a retired Air Force Pilot and a Counterterrorism Expert said, not all the allegations against the military are true.
“Yes, there were such accusations against the Military even when I was serving as an officer. It is possible that some military personnel can be sympathetic to a particular armed groups on the basis of tribe or religion but most often, the neutrality of the military in a battle is misconstrued to be a connivance with an armed group”, Aboh told TruthNigeria
For U.S. analysts monitoring Nigeria’s complex multi-sided conflict, the allegations highlight a broader security challenge in Nigeria: communities facing armed violence need effective protection, but security operations must also respect civilian rights and the rule of law.
