Lance Corporal Philomena Nnamoko
Emmanuel Brown, a 23-year-old whose mother serves in the Nigerian Army, has reportedly been held by the military. His mother, Philomena Nnamoko, was sent to a psychiatric hospital, and Brown claims he was detained by a female lieutenant colonel for speaking to The PUNCH newspaper about his mother's situation.
Brown shared in an interview how soldiers mistreated his mother, leading to her being sent to a psychiatric hospital. Nnamoko, in a recorded voice note from her lawyer, accused her superiors of harassment and maltreatment. She expressed distress that her child was detained in a guardroom for speaking to the newspaper.
Efforts to contact the Director of Army Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Nwachukwu Onyema, were unsuccessful. The spokesperson of the 35 Artillery Brigade, Lt. Mohammed Goni, disputed the story's accuracy, urging investigative journalism.
Nnamoko's lawyer, Kayode Oshiyemi, called Brown's arrest unlawful, stating that he was detained because he spoke to the press about his mother. Oshiyemi mentioned that Brown was initially unreachable, and someone else was using his phone to communicate. After reaching out, Brown confirmed his release, explaining that a lieutenant colonel claimed he published the issue in a newspaper, leading to his arrest.