Madueke Okereke, a young man from Imo State, has opened up about the harrowing ordeal he faced while in military custody at the 34 Artillery Brigade in Obinze. Detained for 37 days without trial, Okereke said he was starved for eight days without food or water — a period that left him battling severe health complications, including ulcers.
The incident, first reported by standarddailypress on October 3, involved Okereke and another man, Chimamkpa Nnorom, who were both allegedly detained following a civil dispute in Umuugwuta Village, Ndegwu Community, Owerri West LGA. The altercation reportedly began when Nnorom had a minor scuffle with Okezuo Ogbos, the brother of a Nigerian soldier, Corporal Chimdalu Ogbos. Despite having no role in the fight, Okereke was arrested on September 2 after Corporal Ogbos allegedly leveraged his military position to influence their detention.
After public outrage over their illegal detention, Okereke was eventually released on October 11. Speaking to standarddailypress, he described the conditions of his confinement as “dehumanising,” explaining that he was denied food, water, and legal access. He said he contracted ulcers and other illnesses due to the inhumane treatment and filthy environment.
Okereke insisted he was wrongly accused, revealing he had only accompanied his in-law, Nnorom, to a local security meeting when soldiers stormed the venue and arrested both men. “They never took my statement or told me my offence. They just threw us into a cell,” he said. He also recounted how soldiers made discriminatory remarks about Igbo youths, branding them as terrorists and threatening continued mistreatment until the region abandoned pro-Biafra movements.
Now free but deeply traumatised, Okereke has called for an independent investigation into his unlawful detention and the alleged human rights abuses. His story adds to the growing list of complaints about military brutality and abuse of power in Nigeria’s South-East, where civilians are often subjected to extrajudicial treatment under the guise of maintaining order.
