Mr. Victor Iroha, a photographer and videographer in Lagos who was arrested by the officers of the Nigerian Army in October 2021, is reportedly still being held in custody, nearly three years after his arrest. His whereabouts and the reasons for his detention remain unknown.
According to FIJ reporter, Ms Opeyemi Lawal, who first broke the story, Mr. Iroha’s relative reached out to FIJ after the outlet published a series of interviews with Pius Awoke, a legal practitioner, and Chinonso Onyibe, an undergraduate at Ebonyi State University who were arrested in July 2021 by the Department of State Services (DSS), spent nearly three years in a military cantonment without trial or charge, and were released in June 2024. The photographer’s relative reached out to FIJ, expressing concerns that Mr. Iroha might also be in military detention.
According to the relative, Mr. Iroha left his home on August 2, 2021, for a job in Asaba, Delta State, and was arrested two months later by the Nigerian Army without charge or any official communication from the authorities. A stranger informed the family that he was being held in Ohafia Barracks in Abia State.
In 2023, a former cellmate contacted the family, disclosing that they were both held at the DSS Headquarters in Abuja. The cellmate claimed that Mr. Iroha was innocent but did not provide specific details about the charges against him. He advised the family to raise funds to secure his release and hinted at a possible transfer to Wawa Military Detention or another facility in Kaduna State.
When FIJ contacted Mr. Nwachukwu Onyeama, the Nigerian Army’s spokesperson, there was no response.
