Lance Corporal Rotimi Olamilekan reportedly arrested in Maiduguri, transferred to Abuja, and denied access to family and legal representation after emotional social media appeal.

A Nigerian soldier has reportedly been detained after a viral video surfaced in which he called on governors, senators, ministers and other political office holders to send their sons to join the Nigerian Army and fight insurgency.

Lance Corporal Rotimi Olamilekan (service number 18NA/77/1009 LCPL), attached to the 81 Division Task Force Battalion in Maiduguri, Borno State, was allegedly arrested on February 11, 2026, following a directive said to have emanated from higher authorities.

According to sources who spoke with SaharaReporters, Olamilekan was apprehended by fellow soldiers at his duty post in Maiduguri. He was briefly held in a military cell before being transferred to Army Headquarters in Abuja.

Sources further claimed that he was not allowed to formally notify his family about his arrest. However, he reportedly asked colleagues to inform his elderly mother that he had been taken to Abuja. Since his detention, he has allegedly been denied access to legal representation.

The arrest followed a video posted on his Facebook page in which the visibly emotional soldier lamented the loss of colleagues in the ongoing fight against banditry and insurgency.

Speaking in Pidgin English, Olamilekan expressed frustration over what he described as the heavy toll on frontline troops.

“The way I dey lose my colleagues, it is getting to things wey be say e dey comot tears for my eye day by day,” he said, explaining that the constant loss of fellow soldiers had become deeply painful.

He went on to challenge Nigeria’s political elite, noting that the country has 36 governors, 109 senators, nearly 60 ministers, members of the House of Representatives and 774 local government chairmen. He urged each of them to allow their sons to enlist in the Army and experience the realities of combat.

“Let each one of them bring their son to join the Nigerian Army,” he said, arguing that shared sacrifice would demonstrate genuine commitment to national security.

It was also gathered that Olamilekan has spent four years and eight months in Maiduguri participating in counter-insurgency operations, reportedly without promotion or additional benefits.

Efforts to obtain official confirmation were unsuccessful. The Nigerian Army spokesperson, Col. Appolonia Anele, did not respond to calls and a text message seeking comment as of the time of filing this report.