A serious human rights crisis has erupted in Delta State following a brutal midnight invasion allegedly carried out by suspected military personnel, which left several residents physically assaulted, properties damaged, and public confidence in the nation’s security forces shaken.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, April 15, at around 2:30am, targeted the residence of Mr. Richard Nwajei, a respected community leader and chairman of the electricity committee in Asaba.
The attackers, identified by victims as men in military uniforms and mufti, reportedly stormed his home under the guise of searching for a man referred to as “Mr. Selense.”
However, Mr. Nwajei had no known affiliation with the alleged suspect.
According to a petition submitted to the Delta State Commissioner of Police by the Young Nigerian Rights Organization, the intruders forcibly broke into Mr. Nwajei’s compound, beat him with cutlasses while he was half-naked, and ignored the cries of his children and aged mother.
The violence reportedly escalated when Mr. Nwajei was coerced into guiding the uniformed men to another residence, belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Michael Nezianya, where further assaults unfolded.
The Nezianya family suffered immense trauma, including the beating of a security guard, the physical assault of Mrs. Nezianya, who suffers from asthma, and the wanton destruction of personal property, including forced entry into a bulletproof home through the kitchen window.
Their seven-month-old baby and 7-year-old daughter witnessed the ordeal, intensifying the psychological toll of the attack.
The uniformed men claimed to be from the 63 Brigade located on Anwai Road, Asaba.
Though no formal confirmation has been made, the petition links them to the military, raising serious concerns over abuse of power, disregard for legal protocols, and human dignity.
“This is not just an act of misconduct, it is a violation of everything the armed forces are meant to stand for,” said Comrade Victor Ojei (aka Wong Box), Lead Activist of the Young Nigerian Rights Organization.
“We are demanding an urgent and independent investigation into this unlawful invasion, prosecution of those involved, and compensation for the affected families.”
The petition highlights legal violations under the Nigerian Criminal Code Act, including assault, criminal conspiracy, and malicious damage, as well as infractions against civil authorities as defined in the Armed Forces Act.
It also referenced the unresolved case of a Nollywood cameraman who was shot by operatives of “Operation Delta Hawk” in November 2024.
It was only after Mr. Nwajei’s mother successfully reached the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) that his release was secured.
The DCP is said to have promptly contacted the alleged operation team to halt the abuse and release the victim, confirming his status as a local community leader.
The petition was also forwarded to high-ranking government and security officials, including the Chief of Army Staff, the Inspector General of Police, and the National Human Rights Commission.
As public condemnation mounts, many are calling for an overhaul of military-civilian engagement protocols and a firm response to prevent such abuse from becoming normalized.
For now, all eyes are on the Nigerian Army and Delta State Police Command to act decisively and transparently.
Narrating their ordeals to The Story, Mr. Richard Nwajei, Chairman of the Idu-Muogu Community Landlord Association and Electricity Committee, recounted a harrowing experience in the early hours of the morning.
Mr. Nwajei described how he was awakened around 2:00am.by unusual noises behind his house.
Concerned for the safety of his children, other family members and tenants, he moved to their room and send WhatsApp messages to them only for the situation to escalate.
“I thought it was a regular commotion at first, but the banging became intense,” he said. “I climbed up with a bucket to look over the fence and saw armed men breaking into a neighbor’s compound.”
His mother, a septuagenarian, Mrs. Favour Anthonia Nwajei, corroborated the account, recalling how they were jolted from sleep by heavy banging on nearby gates.
“We’ve had previous scares with robbers shouting and running through the neighborhood. Usually, people fire shots into the air to scare them off. But this time, it wasn’t robbers, it was something more frightening.”
What unfolded next remains unclear, but witnesses allege that the intruders, who claimed to be security forces, did not follow any known operational procedure.
There was no prior identification, no formal entry, and no communication with local authorities.
Hear him: “My name is Richard Nwajei. I am from Ogwashi-Uku. I’m the present Community Landlord Association Chairman here in Idu-Muogu. I’m also the Light/Electricity Chairman.
“At about 2 o’clock in the night, I woke up to check on my children. While I was in their room, trying to place them well, I started hearing bangs at the back of my house. Initially, I thought maybe some persons were having issues, but I had to come out when the noise became louder. I used buckets to climb the fence and check. I noticed that some armed men were raiding a compound and breaking doors.
“I came down and alerted my tenants that a robbery was going on in the community. I advised them to be careful and hide any valuable items. After that, I went back, but the banging continued, they were still breaking doors. I believe they raided about eight duplexes, breaking in both upstairs and downstairs.
“They then entered the next compound, and I realized that my house might be next. I went inside, picked up my gun, and fired a warning shot into the air. When I fired the warning shot, there was a moment of calm.
“I told my tenants the robbers had probably left. I didn’t know they had captured someone and were beating him, forcing him to show them where the shot came from.
“He kept telling them I was the chairman and a security man. He was screaming, “Chairman, it’s me, your neighbour. Open up, they came to carry me. They say they are police.” I asked, “Who is that?” They responded, “We are soldiers.” I asked, “At this time of the night?”
“They threatened, “If you don’t open this gate, we will break it down.” I said, “Okay, I’m coming. Let me confirm.” I went inside and started making calls, to the Delta Hawk Commander, the DPO of B Division, the DCO, NACO, Anti-Cult, and even Mickey (whom they later took me to). None of them answered because it was a very odd hour.
“I stayed inside watching. Then they began breaking my gate. My mom started wailing and shouting “Kidnappers! Thieves!” My kids woke up. When they came out and met me outside, I gave up. I said, “Let me just turn myself in.”
“I approached the gate and said, “Wait, let me open.” (Crying while speaking to newsmen) As I opened the gate, they said, “We said we are soldiers, yet you didn’t open the gate.” They started beating me.
“I kept asking, “What have I done?” I reminded them that even robbers wear camouflage. I had seen them earlier telling some people in camouflage to move to the front.
“They beat me in front of my kids, two and three years old. I begged them to stop. One of my tenants tried to scale the fence, they caught him and started beating him too. I told them he ran because he thought they were robbers. They let him go inside.
“Then they asked if I had CCTV in the compound. I said yes. They dragged me outside again and beat me. One of them accused me of being a cultist and told me to cooperate. I said, “No, I’m the Chief Security Officer of this community.”
“While beating me, they kept asking questions, and if I didn’t respond the way they wanted, they’d beat me again. They asked me to take them to Mickey’s house. I agreed, thinking he would vouch for me. They put me in a van and drove me there. They asked me to call him, but I told them I left my phone in the house when they started beating me.
“They told me to knock at his gate. As I moved toward it, they kept beating me on the back and neck. I shouted, “Chairman, come out!” Mickey appeared upstairs, surprised. He asked, “Richie, what is it?” I explained what happened. They shouted at him to come down, but instead, he escaped through the back.
“After a few minutes, one of them accused me of telling him to run. I said I only explained my situation. They told me to bang the gate again and started flogging me with cutlasses.
“I kept shouting. Eventually, they started breaking Mickey’s gate. His security man peeped and ran off. They broke in, smashed the security house, climbed upstairs, and dragged Mickey’s wife and kids out.
“I heard wailing. The woman was shouting, “Who are you people?” and they told her to shut up. They beat her while asking for her husband. She kept saying she didn’t know where he was.
“They dragged her by the hair and beat her as she breastfed her baby. A little girl, around six or seven, tried to shield her mother when she was gasping for breath due to asthma. The girl fetched her inhaler and helped revive her.
“Around that time, the calls I had made started coming through. My mom answered and told them I had been abducted. Eventually, one of the officers received confirmation from their command that they were operating on Rehoboth Street and had picked up someone named Richard Nwajei. When asked, I confirmed my identity.
“They asked me to sit down and follow them. They later asked if I knew someone named Celense. I said I knew him but didn’t know where he lived. They said they’d take me to the barracks to “remember.”
“One boy among them, wearing our security uniform, said he knew Celense’s house, very close to Mickey’s. They went there, brought out his wife, searched the house but didn’t find him.
“When they were done, they dropped me off at the junction. I feared they would kill me, so I hesitated to move. They told me, “Go, we have released you.” As I turned to leave, they called me back.
“I asked for my gun, and they mocked me: “You still have the guts to ask for your gun?” They eventually returned my gun, license, and bullets and told me to come to their office at 63 Command.
“That’s what really happened. I’m traumatized. I haven’t been able to eat for days. My chest feels heavy, and I feel pain when I try to swallow food. I’ve gone for a medical checkup, but I still need to go for intensive tests, X-rays and scans, to understand what’s going on inside me.
“When asked what I want, I said I need justice. Not just for me, but for that woman who was brutalized, and for my children who were traumatized. We can’t even open our gate anymore. Everyone is scared.
“I need to understand why I had to go through this. I’ve always worked cordially with the army in this community. Even before they come into the community, they usually call me. That’s why I’m a friend to the Delta Hawk Commander, Mr. Chibuike. I join them on patrols even at 2 a.m.
“That’s why I couldn’t believe these were real soldiers. They must come and apologize and compensate me for what I went through. I don’t know what to say about the woman and her daughter. The child was bleeding that night. They claimed she was trying to scale the fence. I will seek redress in court. I need justice.
Similarly, his mother said: “My name is Mrs. Nwajei Favour Anthonia, “On that fateful day, we were asleep when we started hearing loud noises and banging on gates. Just a few days earlier, someone had been shouting “thieves!” and running in panic.
“So normally, whenever we hear such noises, everyone starts making noise to scare them off. Those with guns begin shooting into the air to chase the criminals away.
“That night, everyone in our compound woke up. We believed thieves were around—robbers. All the tenants were awake, including me. I even called my son to ask if he heard the commotion, and he said yes.
“The noise continued for a long time. Eventually, my son came out with his gun and fired two warning shots. Not even 30 minutes later, we heard people banging on our gate. When we asked who was there, they said they were army officers. “Army? At this time?” we asked.
“They insisted: “Open the door. Who is talking there? Is that the wife talking?” I responded that we weren’t sure who they were, many things are happening these days. People pose as army or police officers and turn out to be kidnappers or robbers. They said, “If you don’t open this gate, I’ll break it down!”
“We argued for almost an hour. They really wanted to break the gate. Eventually, my son summoned the courage to open it. I kept telling him not to because of how dangerous things have become.
“They said, “Oh, so now you’re calling us kidnappers?” I replied, “We don’t know who you are. Where are you from? Which battalion?”
“Voices from their vehicle urged us to open the gate. When we finally did, they entered and immediately asked, “Where is the gun? Are you the one who shot?” My son said yes and presented the gun with its license. I thought it would end there. But then they started hitting him with a cutlass.
“I cried out, “Officer, what is happening? My son is not a criminal! Ask anyone around. Whenever there’s a problem, he’s the one people come to for help!” Still, they insisted on taking him for questioning, saying they would bring him back.
“I pleaded with them to question him at home, but they refused. As they took him away, I ran outside, shouting for neighbors to come out. I called one of the chairmen, who said he would look into it. I didn’t realize they were still headed to the overall chairman’s house.
“Back inside, I picked up my son’s phone and started calling his friends. Some responded, some were already asleep, it was very late. Eventually, some friends reassured me, saying he would be fine and they would make some calls.
“Later that night, I heard his voice outside. When I opened the door, I saw him with his gun and license, bruised and shaken. He said what happened inside was nothing compared to what they did to him outside. He showed me bruises on his body. It was heartbreaking.
“Since that night, I’ve not recovered. Seeing my son taken like that, not knowing if he’d return alive, gave me a terrible shock. I’ve barely eaten. I’m almost 80 years old, and they didn’t care. I kept pleading, but they wouldn’t listen. That night, I cried and cried. The next day, I had a terrible headache and was completely down.
“It was only yesterday, when people came to celebrate with us, that I began to feel some relief. I’ve never had any police case before, let alone an issue with the army. They disgraced my son—took him away in just his boxers and beat him like a criminal. I wept when they struck his neck.
“My son is very generous. If you ask around, people will tell you what kind of person he is. I want the government to intervene. If it wasn’t him, it could have been someone else. They humiliated him.
“Yesterday, I had to buy him drugs. He was still complaining today, saying he wouldn’t go to the hospital because of the kids. I told him, “Please, I’m old—you people are the ones who should bury me. Go and get treatment.”
“What happened to him was wrong. If nothing is done, it might happen again. The government must act”.
Text messages sent to Brigadier General Vitus Ugochukwu Unachukwu, Commander of the 63 Brigade Headquarters in Asaba, and to the Army spokesperson, Major Emmanuel Onoja, went unanswered.
