“They Called Us Bunkers, Beat Us Till Blood Came From My Ear And Locked Us Up” — Arogbo Man’s Explosive Account Of Alleged Tompolo-Linked Detention

By Passman Akpos

A man identified as Bona Samuel from Arogbo, Ondo State, has narrated what he described as a traumatic experience after he and his brother were allegedly arrested while fishing on the river and subsequently detained for more than a month in a camp he identified as being controlled by men associated with Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.

In a video testimony obtained by Tarakirivoice, Samuel alleged that he and his brother were intercepted on September 16, 2023, while travelling on the river with a Yamaha eight-horsepower engine for fishing.

According to him, he normally accompanied his brother, who was a fisherman, and that on the morning of the incident, he was the one who called his brother to go fishing.

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Samuel alleged that while they were on the river, some men approached them, slowed down after passing them and called them back.

He said the men questioned them about where they were going, and after they explained that they were going fishing, the men allegedly accused them of lying and suspected them of involvement in illegal oil bunkering.

“They asked us to enter their boat,” Samuel said in the video testimony, adding that the men allegedly seized their engine and began moving them around the waterways.

He alleged that they were subsequently taken towards Odidi, while relatives and loved ones attempted to secure their release.

Samuel claimed that his brother’s girlfriend pleaded with the men to release them, while his own girlfriend also reportedly made an appeal, but the pleas allegedly failed.

He further alleged that the men eventually contacted a civil defence group and that another boat powered by a 200-horsepower engine arrived before they were taken to Oporoza.

Alleged Assault At Oporoza

Samuel alleged that when they arrived at Oporoza, a man he identified in the video as Ekumieyefa KFT confronted him and allegedly began beating him.

According to his account, he attempted to explain that he was not involved in oil bunkering and questioned why he was being assaulted.

Samuel alleged that he told the man that he lived behind him in Warri and that he was also married to a relative of his.

He claimed that the revelation temporarily stopped the alleged assault against him, but that attention was subsequently turned to his brother.

Samuel alleged that his brother was also beaten, leaving both men with injuries to their backs.

He said the two brothers were subsequently taken into detention.

“27 Of Us Were In The Prison”

Samuel claimed that they were initially taken into one detention facility where, according to him, he was allegedly beaten again.

He alleged that the assault resulted in blood coming from his ear.

“We were 27 in the prison,” Samuel said, claiming that there was no police or military personnel present at the facility and that the people guarding the detainees were allegedly members of the group he described as Tompolo’s boys.

Samuel said he did not see Tompolo during his detention and only claimed to have seen him from a distance on the day they were released.

Alleged Poor Feeding And Communication Restrictions

The former detainee also alleged that those held in the facility were poorly fed.

According to him, food was sometimes brought after 9 a.m., with rice and beans reportedly shared among several detainees.

He claimed that in the evening, usually after 6 p.m., Eba and soup were brought for the detainees, with only a small quantity of meat allegedly available to be shared among them.

Samuel further alleged that detainees were not allowed to communicate freely with their families.

He said he later learned from his wife that she had attempted to send him money during the period of his detention, but that he never received it.

Alleged Forced Labour

Samuel also alleged that detainees were sometimes taken out to work and returned to the detention facility afterwards.

He said he did not know the identities of most of the men who initially intercepted them on the river, but identified one of them as Odubu, whom he claimed had recently received a contract.

Samuel alleged that detainees were taken to work on one occasion until they became exhausted before being returned to the detention facility.

Release After More Than One Month

According to Samuel, he and his brother eventually spent approximately one month and some days in detention.

He alleged that some newly arrived detainees were also brought into the facility while others had already spent a considerable period there.

He said their eventual release came after Ekumieyefa KFT allegedly called them out.

Samuel claimed that upon release, the detainees were each given ₦500 and transported in a 200-horsepower boat before being dropped off in Warri.

He said the experience left him deeply angry and described what happened to him as oppression.

“Water Still Enters My Ear”

Samuel said the alleged assault continued to affect him after his release.

He claimed that his ear was injured during the alleged beating and that even after returning home, water would enter his ear whenever he bathed.

He said he had been treating the injury and that a person he identified as Sam had sometimes helped him obtain medication.

According to Samuel, the incident began on September 16, 2023, and he and his brother were released on October 28, 2023.

Serious Questions Raised

Samuel’s account raises serious questions about the treatment of civilians intercepted on the waterways, the authority under which private or community security groups detain suspected oil thieves, the conditions inside alleged detention facilities and whether detainees are afforded access to police, military personnel, lawyers, relatives or judicial authorities.

If independently verified, allegations of prolonged detention, physical assault, denial of family contact and detention without access to lawful authorities would warrant serious scrutiny by the appropriate Nigerian authorities.

Tarakirivoice has not independently verified all the allegations contained in Samuel’s video testimony, including the identities and official affiliations of every person he mentioned.

The allegations should therefore be investigated by the relevant security and judicial authorities, while the persons or organisations implicated should be given an opportunity to respond to the specific claims.

The account also underscores the need for greater transparency over the activities of security personnel and other groups operating along the Niger Delta waterways, particularly where civilians are intercepted, detained or accused of involvement in oil-related crimes.