Re: PETITION AGAINST TORTURE, BRUTALITY, AND ILLEGAL OPERATIONS ALLEGEDLY CARRIED OUT BY MEN BELIEVED TO BE FROM 63 BRIGADE, NIGERIAN ARMY, ON INNOCENT CITIZENS OF ASABA, DELTA STATE
Lt. Gen Olufemi Oluyede,
The Chief of Army Staff,
Nigerian Army Headquarters,
Garki, Abuja, FCT, Nigeria.
Sir,
We write this petition under deep pain, moral outrage, and urgent concern as a Civil Society Organization—Young Nigerian Rights Organization—on behalf of citizens of Delta State, specifically the victims of a heinous, unjustified, and inhumane military operation conducted by men alleged to be from the 63 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Anwai Road, Asaba.
BACKGROUND: MILITARY IMPUNITY AND DENIAL OF ACCESS TO JUSTICE
Earlier, we formally submitted a petition to the 63 Brigade, Asaba, over this matter. To our dismay, the registry repeatedly moved the letter from one office to another, refusing to acknowledge or receive it. Eventually, they claimed that only a legal officer could receive such a petition, a false narrative deliberately designed to frustrate access to justice and conceal wrongdoing. Also at Abuja when we delivered the petition to the Chief of Army Staff Office at Garki, the petition was also given the same treatment as it occurred at 63 Brigade Command at Anwai Road, Asaba, Delta State.
This calculated obstruction is an affront not only to our organization but to the Nigerian Constitution, which upholds citizens’ right to petition public institutions. The Nigerian Army must not be a safe haven for impunity.
We are compelled to bring this matter to your esteemed offices in Abuja due to the serious threat it poses to the image and integrity of the Nigerian military, both locally and internationally.
THE INCIDENT: MANS INHUMANITY TO MAN
On Monday, 15th April 2025, around 2:30 AM, armed men in military uniforms, accompanied by others in mufti, invaded the home of Mr. Richard Nwajei, Chairman of the Community Landlords/Electricity Committee, in Asaba. Despite his repeated pleas and the presence of his terrified children and aged mother, Mr. Nwajei was flogged with cutlasses, slapped, dragged into a van, and coerced to lead them to the residence of a man he did not know personally.
The operatives then stormed No. 11 Okolie Street, home of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Nezianya, where they broke gates and windows, assaulted an elderly gateman, and terrified a nursing mother, also an asthmatic patient and children. The breast feeding seven-month-old mother was denied access to critical medication of ventolin inhaler, and the family was subjected to psychological and physical torture.
This was not a military operation—it was a war crime.
LEGAL VIOLATIONS
These actions violate:
* The Nigerian Constitution (Section 34(1)(a)) – which guarantees the right to dignity and freedom from torture.
* Nigeria’s Anti-Torture Act, 2017 – which criminalizes torture and sets penalties for its perpetrators.
* The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Article 5) – to which Nigeria is a signatory.
* The UN Convention Against Torture – a binding international treaty.
A PATTERN OF ABUSE IN DELTA STATE
This is not an isolated incident. In November 2024, a Nollywood cameraman was shot in the stomach by “Operation Delta Hawk” officers in Delta State. And in a more recent and equally disturbing incident, soldiers in Ibusa, Oshimili North, were reported to have used electric wires to flog women, children, and the elderly during sanitation activities—despite having no legal mandate to enforce civil environmental programs.
We are witnessing the normalization of military terror against innocent Nigerians.
A HISTORICAL REMINDER: THE BIAFRA WAR AND AFTERMATH
We remind your offices that during the Nigeria-Biafra War, soldiers who committed acts of violence against civilians—including extrajudicial killings—were court-martialed and sentenced to death, reinforcing the Army’s commitment to discipline and professionalism.
We call on the Nigerian Army to live up to that legacy of integrity—not tarnish it.
OUR DEMANDS
We hereby demand the following:
1. A full and impartial investigation into the illegal raid and acts of torture by the alleged military operatives.
2. Immediate identification and prosecution of all military personnel involved, regardless of rank.
3. Compensation and public apology to the victims—Mr. Richard Nwajei, Mr. & Mrs. Michael Nezianya, and all others affected.
4. Provision of medical and psychological support to victims, especially children traumatized by this ordeal.
5. A formal condemnation by the Nigerian Army of these acts and a renewed commitment to human rights protection in military operations.
COPIES SENT TO:
Lt Col Onyechi Anele,
The Director of Army Public Relations,
Army Public Relations Office
Nigerian Army Headquarters,
Garki, Abuja, FCT, Nigeria.
We
Inspector General of Police, Force Headquarters, Abuja
Hon. Minister of Defence, Abuja
Hon. Minister of Justice & Attorney General of the Federation
Executive Director, National Human Rights Commission
Executive Governor of Delta State
Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Asaba, Delta State
Commander, 63 Brigade Nigerian Army, Asaba, Delta State
Director, DSS, Delta State Command, Asaba, Delta State
Commissioner for Justice, Delta State
Commissioner for Humanitarian Services, Delta State
Delta State Civil Society Network
Human Rights Watch, West Africa Office
Amnesty International Nigeria
CLOSING STATEMENT
This is not just a human rights issue—it is a battle for the soul of our nation. We must choose between a future of respect for human dignity or a descent into lawless militarism.
Let it be known that the world is watching, and history will remember the choices made by the Nigerian Army today.
Yours in service to justice and humanity,
Comrade Victor Ojei (Wong Box)
Lead Activist
Young Nigerian Rights Organization
Tel: +234 803 878 5262
Email: wongboxtvmedia@gmail.com