Apochi Owoicho, Ernest’s elder brother, told SaharaReporters on Thursday that the incident occurred on Saturday, 5 April 2025, around 1:50pm, when the soldiers arrived in a Hilux vehicle.
Soldiers of Operation Whirl Stroke have been accused of torturing Ernest Owoicho, a 35-year-old resident of Ugbokpo community in the Apa Local Government Area of Benue State, to death.
His family claimed that Ernest was mistaken for another individual, Victor Otache, and violently detained.
Apochi Owoicho, Ernest’s elder brother, told SaharaReporters on Thursday that the incident occurred on Saturday, 5 April 2025, around 1:50pm, when the soldiers arrived in a Hilux vehicle.
“Last week Saturday, that is on 05/04/25 at about 1:50pm, the army came with their Hilux, including one guy called Ijada Obodonbodon. He was also inside the vehicle with them, and the boy is the one who pointed at my brother,” Apochi explained.
Apochi said that Ernest, who was cooking at the time, was taken by the soldiers despite not being the person they were looking for.
“They took him to their camp, beat him to death, and took him to the mortuary without our consent,” he said.
That night, at around 11pm, Apochi received a call from a friend in Makurdi about his brother’s death. “I went to the army camp to inquire, but they told me nothing had happened,” Apochi said.
After contacting the mortician, Apochi learned that the body brought by the soldiers was listed as Victor Otache. “I was confused because my own person is Ernest Owoicho, not Victor Otache,” Apochi said.
The following day, Apochi and others visited the mortuary and confirmed Ernest’s identity through signs of abuse on his body. “Blood everywhere,” Apochi stated.
The family then reported the incident to both the police and the local chairman, leading to an investigation by military police.
“We reported the case to the police and to the local government chairman comrade Adams Ochega. They sent military police to our LG for proper investigation. They came to the house also,” Apochi added.
Despite this, the military police’s receipt initially listed the victim as Victor Otache, prompting the family to demand a correction to reflect Ernest Owoicho’s name.
Maj Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, the spokesman for the Nigerian Army, did not respond to calls and messages from SaharaReporters seeking comment on the matter.