A dismissed Nigerian soldier, Rotimi Olamilekan, popularly known as Soja Boi, has alleged that he fell ill and was mistreated by fellow soldiers while in detention following his arrest over a viral video.

Olamilekan made the claims during an interview on the Honest Brunch Podcast, where he detailed his arrest, detention, and subsequent transfer across multiple military facilities.

According to him, his ordeal began after he was summoned to a brigade without prior explanation.

He said, “They asked someone to bring me to the brigade, saying they were looking for me. When I got there, I was wondering what I had done, because I knew I had not committed any offence.

“When I got to the Chief of Staff’s office, he ordered that I should be disarmed. Immediately, they collected my weapon and called the Military Police to handcuff me, both my hands and legs.”

The dismissed soldier said he was held overnight in restraints without being informed of his offence.

“I slept with handcuffs on both my hands and legs till the next day. I kept asking what I did, but nobody told me anything,” he said.

Olamilekan explained that he was later informed that his arrest was linked to alleged violations of social media regulations.

“The next day, they told me it was because of social media that I had violated some rules by speaking about certain issues,” he added.

He further alleged that he was moved between detention facilities, including in Maiduguri and Abuja, while still in handcuffs.

“They kept me in a guardroom in the bush, then later moved me to another military police guardroom where I spent about five days. After that, they put me on a flight to Abuja — still in handcuffs,” he said.

He claimed that his transfer on a civilian flight drew attention from other passengers.

“People were asking why I was in handcuffs. I had to explain that it was because of something I said on social media, so they would not think I was a criminal or a terrorist,” he said.

Olamilekan said he was detained at a military facility in Abuja, where he was asked to write a statement regarding the viral video.

“I wrote my statement and admitted that I made the video out of frustration about what my colleagues were going through,” he said.

He, however, expressed disappointment that some of the soldiers he claimed to be speaking for allegedly turned against him during the investigation.

“To my surprise, the same soldiers I was speaking for were the ones investigating me and still maltreating me,” he alleged.

The dismissed soldier also claimed that he spent about a month in detention under harsh conditions, during which he fell ill.

“I was in detention for about one month, still in handcuffs. I even fell sick while I was there,” he said.

According to him, he had to pay for his own treatment while in custody.

“When I fell sick, the doctor asked if I had money. I said no. They took me back. Later, I had to find a way to transfer money and buy my own injections and drugs while in detention,” he claimed.

He added that he was later moved again to Maiduguri, where he continued to be held.

“They took me back to Maiduguri and kept me again in the military police guardroom. I thought they would release me, but they continued to hold me. I realised they already had their own plans,” he said.

Rotimi Olamilekan had gone viral in February 2026 after releasing a video criticising the treatment of soldiers and calling on political officeholders to allow their children experience military service.

“In this country, we have 36 governors, we have senators, we have ministers. Let each one of them bring their son to join the Nigerian Army… so that they can come and witness what we face. Every day, this killing is too much,” he had said in the video.

Following the video, his management alleged that he was arrested and detained for several weeks, sparking the #FreeSojaBoi campaign on social media.

After regaining his freedom in March, he thanked supporters for their advocacy.

“We are grateful to everyone who stood up, spoke out, and used their platforms to demand fairness. Your voices were heard,” he wrote on Instagram.

PUNCH Online had reported that the Army, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Appolonia Anele, dismissed claims that Soja Boi was punished for speaking out.

“The Nigerian Army categorically states that Mr Olamilekan was not dismissed for ‘speaking the truth’ or expressing opinions on political leadership. He was dismissed following persistent and grave acts of indiscipline, including violations of the Armed Forces Social Media Policy,” the statement read.

The Army explained that as a professional institution, it operates within clearly defined rules and regulations that guide the conduct of its personnel, noting that Olamilekan’s actions contravened several of these provisions.

“Like all professional militaries, the Nigerian Army operates under a strict Code of Conduct and the Armed Forces Act. Unauthorised media appearances, commercialisation of military identity, partisan content creation and misuse of military uniform constitute clear breaches of established regulations. His dismissal followed due process in line with military laws,” the statement added.

The Army further stressed that it remains committed to discipline, accountability and the welfare of its personnel, noting that operational decisions, including postings and deployments, are guided strictly by strategic considerations.

“The Nigerian Army remains committed to the highest standards of discipline, accountability, and troop welfare. Operational decisions regarding postings and deployments are guided strictly by strategic and operational requirements,” it stated.

While urging the public to disregard contrary narratives, the Army described the circulating claims as deliberate attempts to misinform and attract sympathy.