Armed men believed to be army personnel have arrested Lance Corporal Martins Idakpini, an ex-soldier who previously spent over three years in military custody for criticizing former President Muhammadu Buhari and then-Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, over their handling of the Boko Haram crisis.
Idakpini was picked up on Tuesday by unknown Army officers from his home in Lugbe, Abuja, and was reportedly tortured during the invasion.
However, a military source later revealed that Idakpini has been released, stating that the arrest had nothing to do with his previous criticisms but rather a dispute involving a senior military officer who owed a lady who communicates with Idakpini.
Idakpini’s troubles with the military began in June 2020 after he made a viral video castigating Buhari and Buratai for the Army’s failings in combating Boko Haram terrorists.
He alleged that the duo failed to provide adequate resources to soldiers fighting the insurgency.
After spending three years in various military detention facilities, Idakpini was released in June 2023 following an order from the new Chief of Army Staff, Maj Gen Taoreed Lagbaja.
