A soldier who killed a 16-year-old boy, Ismail Mohammed while attempting to stop hoodlums who were causing mayhem during the #EndBadGovernance protest Samaru, Zaria in Kaduna State on Tuesday has been detained
This was announced in a statement by the Director, Nigerian Army Public Relations, Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, on Wednesday in Abuja.
Nwachukwu said the troops received a distress call that some hoodlums gathered in Samaru area of Zaria in large numbers, burning tyres on the road and pelting stones on security personnel.
He said the troops immediately mobilised and arrived at the scene to disperse the mob and enforce the curfew imposed by the State Government.
“On arrival at the scene, the hoodlums brazenly attempted attacking the troops prompting a soldier to fire a warning shot to scare the hoodlums away, which unfortunately led to the death of a 16 year old boy Ismail Mohammed.
“The soldier involved has since been arrested and undergoing interrogation as at the time of this report,” he said.
Nwachukwu said the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, was saddened by the unfortunate incident.
He said the COAS had sent a high-powered delegation led by the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Maj.-Gen. Lander Saraso to visit and condole with the family of the deceased.
According to him, the deceased was buried according to Islamic rites with senior military officers of the Nigerian army in attendance.
The Army had on Tuesday said it will investigate the death of Muhammad.
Maj.-Gen. MLD Saraso, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, disclosed this when he visited the family of the deceased in Zaria.
The GOC later addressed youths in the area, saying that he was in Zaria to commiserate with the family and the community over the incident.
He assured that a thorough investigation would be conducted on the matter and invited any community member with substantive evidence to forward the same for necessary action.
Saraso said the incident was unfortunate, urging the community to live in peace and always abide by the law and order.
The deceased’s mother, Zainab Sani, said the shooting occurred around 9.00 a.m., at their residence at Sarkin Pawa Street, Samaru, Zaria, by a trigger-happy soldier on patrol alongside his colleagues.
She said the late Isma’il was playing with his friends and brother in front of their house when they saw soldiers coming in their direction.
“With one of the soldiers pointing his gun at them, they ran into the house and shut the gate,” she said.
She alleged that the soldier, however, shot at the gate, thereby killing Isma’il, who stood by the gate to prevent the soldiers from gaining entrance.
She added that his son had just written his final secondary school examination in Zaria and was seeking admission to further his education when the incident occurred.
