...My Ear Was Bleeding 

What began as an ordinary fishing trip for Samuel and his brother ended in weeks of alleged abuse, hunger and unlawful detention inside Tompolo’s private prison. 

At about 8 a.m. on September 16, 2023, Samuel set out on the river with his brother, expecting nothing more than a routine day of fishing in the quiet riverine town of Arugbo.

Instead, the trip became the beginning of a 42-day ordeal that Samuel says involved armed men, physical abuse, starvation, overcrowded detention and repeated demands for money.

The brothers were rowing toward their fishing grounds when two armed youths in another boat intercepted them. According to Samuel's account, the men rejected their explanation that they were fishermen going about their work and forced them aboard their boat.

The brothers were subsequently taken to Oporoz Town, WarriSouth-West of DeltaState. It was there, Samuel said, that the ordeal took a violent turn.

‘They did not listen to us’

At Oporoza Town, the brothers were handed over to an civilian group allegedly led by a commander known as Ekomieyefa Uduboh also known as “KFT.”

Samuel said he tried to explain who they were and why they were on the river. He also tried to explain his relationship with the commander in Tompolo’s camp, saying that he was married to the sister of Ekomieyefa Uduboh.

Despite his explanation, Samuel was severely beaten by his own in-law, Ekomieyefa. He said he was beaten mercilessly and started bleeding from his ear.

But, according to Samuel, his explanation did little to stop the violence.

Again, the Ekomieyefa allegedly turned his attention to Samuel's brother, repeatedly flogging and slapping him. The assault was so severe, Samuel recalled, that his brother's clothes were torn.

The brothers were later taken to what Samuel described as a cramped, unofficial detention facility.

Inside the first cell, the alleged abuse continued. During one assault, Samuel was struck heavily on the head, leaving his ear bleeding.

The injury would become one of the most painful reminders of his captivity.

The brothers were subsequently transferred to another cell, where Samuel said 27 prisoners were held together in severely overcrowded conditions.

Samuel said there were no government police officers or military personnel operating the facility. According to his account, the detention site was controlled entirely by Tompolo's and his associates.

For more than six weeks, the detainees remained there.

Food was scarce. Samuel described meals consisting of small portions of rice and beans or watery soup containing only tiny pieces of meat for 27 persons. As the days passed, he said, the prisoners' physical condition deteriorated. “We were dying completely,” Samuel recalled.

Samuel's wife reportedly sent money in an attempt to provide for his basic needs while he remained in detention. But Samuel said the money was intercepted by guards and never reached him.

With little access to medical care, fellow prisoners eventually shared whatever limited medical supplies they could find to help treat Samuel's injured and infected ear.

The detention finally ended on October 28, 2023 — 42 days after the brothers had first set out to fish.

He returned home after more than a month in captivity, carrying the physical consequences of the alleged assaults and the memory of conditions he said left prisoners hungry, sick and desperate.

What began that September morning as an ordinary trip to the river had become a prolonged struggle for survival.

Samuel's account offers a stark picture of how vulnerable fishermen and other riverine residents can become when armed groups exercise control outside formal law-enforcement structures. 

His allegations also raise questions about the circumstances surrounding the brothers' initial interception, the authority under which they were detained, the conditions inside the facility and the alleged demands for money before and after their release.

For Samuel, however, the experience is more personal than any investigation or statistic.

He left home to fish.

Forty-two days later, he came back carrying scars from a captivity he says he never should have endured.