Family Accuses Nigerian Army of Seizing Body of Nasarawa Polytechnic Student Allegedly Killed by Soldiers

The family of Terhile Achinya, a student at Nasarawa State Polytechnic, has accused the Nigerian Army of withholding his body after he was allegedly beaten to death by soldiers. The incident has sparked widespread outrage within the polytechnic community.

According to Achinya’s elder brother, Joseph, the soldiers seized the body after the incident, and the family has been unable to recover it despite several attempts. Joseph explained that their father even traveled from their village to assist with the situation, but efforts to communicate with the Army have been unsuccessful.

“We’ve gone to the school and tried everything to get his body back. My father came all the way from the village, but we still haven’t seen his corpse. We learned that the Army took it away, but we’ve had no response from them,” Joseph stated.

Joseph alleged that the soldiers acted on false information from an individual who accused his brother of being involved in fraudulent activities, commonly known as “Yahoo boy” schemes.

“A man in the school asked my brother for money, but when he said he didn’t have any, the man went to the soldiers outside the school and told them my brother was a Yahoo boy. The soldiers arrested him and another student, beat them, and my brother lost his life,” Joseph explained.

He denied any involvement of his brother in illegal activities, emphasizing that his brother was neither a Yahoo boy nor a cultist. “My father sends us money from the village, and we do small jobs to survive. They killed my brother for no reason,” he added.

The Acting Rector of Nasarawa Polytechnic, Dr. Nurudeen Mu’azu Maifata, has urged students to remain calm as investigations into the matter continue. The incident occurred near a popular entertainment center close to the school, where soldiers arrested several students on allegations of cultism, according to the Students Union Government (SUG) President, Jacob John Mutuwa.

The Nigerian Army has yet to issue an official statement regarding the situation. When contacted, Army spokesperson Major General Onyema Nwachukwu acknowledged the inquiry but had not provided a response at the time of this report.

The tragic death of Terhile Achinya has ignited protests among students, demanding justice and transparency in the investigation.