Ex-soldier: My video calling out army is spiritual mandate

A former military officer, Lance Corporal Martins Idakpini, who called out the Nigerian Army, for abandoning officers on the battlefield, has said his viral video was compelled by spiritual forces.

He made the chilling revelation, saying he risked everything to criticize the military over the inhumane treatment of soldiers on the frontline in Maiduguri—a move that led to his arrest – divine visitations of the dead.

Idakpini first came into the spotlight in June 2020 when he released a video criticising the Buhari administration’s security policies and accusing Gen Tukur Buratai, then Chief of Army Staff, of failing to end the Boko Haram insurgency.

He was arrested shortly afterwards, court-martialled, and held in military detention for over three years before his eventual release in 2023.

Speaking on The Lucky Udu Experience Podcast, Idakpini disclosed that his decision to release the now-viral video was driven by what he described as a spiritual call.

“This was spiritual. It wasn’t normal. My dead colleagues would come to me crying and sending messages before I recorded the video,” he recounted.

Idakpini had earlier accused the Nigerian Army of abandoning the bodies of fallen soldiers, leaving them to be eaten by wild dogs—a claim that shocked the nation.

His video, calling for better welfare and dignity for troops, stirred public outrage but earned him military detention instead of dialogue.

His testimony lays bare the psychological torment soldiers endure after years of battling insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast. Behind the headlines of victories and losses lies a grim reality—troops are haunted not just by bullets, but by memories of comrades left behind.

Human rights advocates observed that Idakpini’s story is a damning indictment of a system that glorifies sacrifice but neglects those who bear its burden.

His claim of being spiritually compelled by the spirits of dead colleagues underscores a mental health crisis among soldiers, many of whom face trauma without support.

“The Army owes its men more than uniforms and guns. It owes them dignity in life and in death,” one activist remarked.

Idakpini’s voice is a haunting reminder: Nigeria must choose between honoring its heroes or breaking them.

Idakpini is the co-founder and president of the Gen. Idakpini Ojo Offor Foundation.