Family accuses military of torturing nurse to death in Benue

The family of Ernest Owoicho, a 35-year-old nurse, has accused soldiers of the Operation Whirl Stroke in Benue State of torturing him to death after he was arrested in Ugbokpo, a community in Apa Local Government Area.

According to family members, Ernest, a father of two, was detained by soldiers on Saturday, April 5, and confirmed dead less than 24 hours later.

Nelson Owoicho, Ernest’s younger brother, shared the distressing details of the case in an interview with the press.

He revealed that at 1:54 p.m. on the day of his brother’s arrest, he received a 37-second phone call from Ernest, during which he reported that soldiers had stormed his house and were beating him.

A follow-up call made two minutes later confirmed that Ernest was being taken away by the soldiers, who did not provide any explanation for the arrest. This was the last communication the family had with him.

Nelson said the family later learned that Ernest had been taken to Elu Lodge, a temporary military base for troops of Operation Whirl Stroke. He claimed that his brother was subjected to hours of severe torture at the base.

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Despite efforts to secure Ernest’s release through the intervention of the Apa Local Government Chairman, Adams Ochega, and other local officials, the family was unable to get him freed.

“By 5 p.m. on Saturday, we got information that he had collapsed in military detention and was rushed to a hospital,” Nelson recalled. “We sent people to all the hospitals in Ugbokpo, but no one found him.”

Later that evening, the family was informed that a body had been deposited at the Apa General Hospital morgue. However, the name recorded on the body was “Victor Otache,” not Ernest Owoicho.

“We relaxed for a bit, thinking maybe it wasn’t him,” Nelson said. “But the next day, calls started coming in—people told us that Ernest had died in military custody.”

The family went to Elu Lodge to inquire about Ernest’s whereabouts, but their questions were met with vague responses, and they were asked to return the following day at noon. Tensions in the area heightened as news of the incident spread, and local youths staged protests, blocking major roads.

It was during this period that the body previously identified as “Victor Otache” was re-examined and positively identified by the family as Ernest Owoicho.

“When we saw the corpse, his body was badly beaten—from head to toe. It was clear he had been brutalized,” Nelson said. “Information we got later suggested he died within 45 minutes of his arrest.”

The family is now demanding answers from the military, questioning the reasons behind Ernest’s arrest and the circumstances of his death. As of the time of this report, Nigerian Army spokesperson Onyema Nwachukwu had not responded to requests for comment on the incident.