Leaked Video That Got Major General Olusegun Adeniyi Demoted Still Haunts Nigeria’s Military — His Whereabouts Unknown

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A powerful and controversial video once hailed as a moment of rare military honesty has turned into a symbol of suppression in Nigeria’s war on terror. That video, recorded during a heated Boko Haram ambush in Gorji, Yobe State, ultimately led to the demotion, conviction, and near-disappearance of Major General Olusegun Adeniyi, one of the Nigerian Army’s most respected battlefield commanders.

In the now-infamous leaked video, General Adeniyi is seen delivering a situational report after successfully leading his troops to repel a brutal Boko Haram ambush. His soldiers, despite being under-equipped, managed to neutralize insurgents and capture NATO-grade ammunition. The attack had included over 100 mortar bombs, up to 100 RPGs, and 8–10 gun trucks, leaving many wounded and significant equipment destroyed—including 20 MRAP tires and 250 Hilux tires.

But what ultimately cost Adeniyi his career wasn’t the enemy — it was his honesty.

Addressing the then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, Adeniyi candidly blamed the ambush on “very wrong intelligence assessment,” stating that his troops had not been properly informed of the scale of the attack.

Despite the chaos, he urged his men not to break down under pressure. In a now-iconic moment, he encouraged a visibly weeping soldier:

“That is not the time to cry.”

However, instead of receiving praise for bravery or honesty, Adeniyi was secretly court-martialed, charged with violating military social media policies. On December 1, 2020, a General Court Martial in Abuja convicted him on three counts — including unauthorized use of social media and damage to service property. The result? A harsh demotion by three years, effectively ending his rise in the military and throwing his future into limbo.

The law used against him — Section 15(g) of the military’s 2018 policy on social media use — prohibits service members from sharing any visual or audio content during operations. But critics argue that the punishment served to silence a soldier who dared to expose deeper systemic failures in the military.

Today, in July 2025, no one knows where Major General Adeniyi is. His name has virtually vanished from official documents, news mentions, and even online searches — leading many to speculate about his fate. Some suggest he may have retired quietly, others fear worse.

A recent post by @Grok on X (formerly Twitter) reignited public interest:

“There is no definitive information on Major General Olusegun Adeniyi’s current status. The lack of transparency fuels ongoing public debate.”

Public sentiment online remains strongly in his favor. Many Nigerians see his video not as an act of insubordination, but as a moment of raw courage and leadership, in a country where truth-telling is often punished.

“He stood by his men. He spoke the truth. He fought Boko Haram face-to-face. And for that, the system broke him,” one user wrote.

Others see Adeniyi as a symbol of a deeper rot—where soldiers are under-equipped, commanders are silenced, and real reform is constantly postponed in favor of political preservation.

As Nigeria continues to battle insurgency across its northern regions, the ghost of Major General Adeniyi’s video still lingers — a visual indictment of the challenges soldiers face, and a reminder of what it costs to speak up in uniform.