Nigerian Soldier Arrested After Viral Video Asking Politicians to Send Their Sons to Fight Terrorists

Nigerian Soldier Arrested After Viral Video Asking Politicians to Send Their Sons to Fight Terrorists.

A Nigerian soldier who posted a video asking governors, senators and other politicians to let their own children join the army has been detained by military authorities, sources say.

Lance Corporal Rotimi Olamilekan, who serves with the 81 Division Task Force Battalion in Maiduguri, was picked up by fellow officers on February 11, days after his video began circulating on social media .

In the recording, Olamilekan speaks in Pidgin English about watching his colleagues die in the fight against terrorists and bandits.

“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.

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He then listed the numbers of top government officials across the country — 36 governors, roughly 109 senators, nearly 60 ministers, House of Representatives members and 774 local government chairmen.

“Let each one of them bring their son to join the Nigerian Army,” he said .

According to multiple reports, Olamilekan was arrested during an operation after military authorities reportedly received a signal directing that he be brought to Army Headquarters in Abuja .

He was first held briefly in a cell in Maiduguri before being transferred to the capital. Sources say he was not allowed to inform his family about his arrest but managed to ask sympathetic colleagues to notify his elderly mother that he had been taken to Abuja .

Since his detention, Olamilekan has allegedly been denied access to legal representation .

Reports indicate Olamilekan has spent more than four years in Maiduguri participating in counter-insurgency operations. Sources say he has not received promotion or additional benefits during that time.

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In his video, he gave his service number — 18NA/77/1009 LCPL — suggesting the years of fighting may have worn him down .

Nigeria has been battling insurgency in the northeast for more than a decade, with thousands of soldiers and civilians killed. Borno State, where Olamilekan is stationed, remains the center of the conflict.

The soldier’s arrest has sparked debate across Nigeria, with many social media users agreeing with his message and calling for his release.

“How come big men children in Nigeria don’t join the army?” one user asked, echoing a question many Nigerians have raised over the years.

The children of Nigeria’s political class rarely enlist in the military. Most pursue careers in business, politics or live abroad. The country’s soldiers largely come from poor and working-class families who see the army as one of few paths to stability.

Critics say this creates a situation where those making decisions about war have no personal stake in the fighting.

“The people voting for endless military operations don’t have sons on the front lines,” one commenter wrote. “That needs to change.”

When contacted by news outlets, Nigerian Army spokesperson Colonel Appolonia Anele was unavailable and did not respond to messages.

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The military has not issued an official statement about Olamilekan’s detention.

The case raises questions about how much freedom soldiers have to speak publicly about their service. Military rules typically restrict service members from making statements that could be seen as critical of the government or military leadership.

But supporters of Olamilekan argue he was simply stating what many Nigerians already believe.

“He spoke the truth,” said a social media post that gathered thousands of likes. “The only problem is that he wore uniform while saying it.”

Others noted that his words came from a place of pain after years of watching friends die.

As of early March, Olamilekan remained in detention in Abuja with no clear timeline for his release or any charges that might be filed against him .

His family waits for news. His colleagues continue fighting in Maiduguri. And online, Nigerians keep sharing his video and asking the same question he raised: If the war is so important, why aren’t the children of the people in power doing the fighting?

Nigerian Soldier Arrested After Viral Video Asking Politicians to Send Their Sons to Fight Terrorists.