On Tuesday, August 7, a Nigerian Army soldier shot and killed a 16-year-old boy in Kaduna and news spread that he was a protester. It was a tragic day in the Kaduna community.
Well, there is more to the death, as the deceased family is saying he was shot at home. They say the boy was right inside his home when he was killed.
Samaru is a community in Zaria, Kaduna and one of the places that the state had pronounced a curfew.
According to the brother of the deceased, the community is one of the most peaceful and had not joined the protest.
Shot At Home
He says the military came to the community to enforce the curfew since people were moving about doing their daily tasks and businesses.
However, on the day the boy was shot, the military was chasing everyone in, insisting they must obey the curfew.
To scare people, gun shots were deployed.
“We were doing our activities normal. We just heard that soldiers were around Samaru market, pursuing people to go back to their homes that curfew is fixed.
“So, we came out from our houses to see what was going on.
“We encountered the soldiers pursuing people while beating them.
“So, we went back home.
“I locked our house door. But, unfortunately, a soldier shot at the door and shot my brother twice. One in the throat and the other one at the back, spinal cord,” Mohammed Abubakar, a brother to the dead boy explained.
Meanwhile, the army claimed in a statement that the teenager was a protester.
The spokesman for the Army, Onyema Nwachukwu, confirmed the shooting in a statement entitled “Unfortunate Death of a Protester by a Soldier in Zaria.”
Nwachukwu explained that, in response to a distress call, troops went to disperse hoodlums in Samaru who were burning tires and attacking security personnel.
Additionally, Nwachukwu noted that the mob attempted to attack the troops, which led a soldier to fire a warning shot. Consequently, this shot resulted in Mohammed’s death.
According to the statement, the Army has since arrested the soldier involved, and he is now undergoing interrogation.
Soldier Killed A 16 Years Old Protester
The statement read, “On August 6, 2024, Nigerian Army troops received a distress call about a large mob in Samaru burning tires and throwing stones at security personnel.
“Thus, the troops mobilised quickly to disperse the crowd and enforce the state government’s curfew.
“When the troops arrived, the hoodlums attempted to attack them. A soldier fired a warning shot, which unfortunately led to the death of 16-year-old Ismail Mohammed”.
The Army has arrested the soldier involved, and he is undergoing interrogation.
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“Saddened by the incident, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, sent a delegation led by Maj Gen Lander Saraso to visit and condole with the family of the deceased.”
Moreover, the family buried the deceased according to Islamic rites, with senior military officers attending the funeral.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, stated that no live ammunition was used during the protests. He disclosed this at a meeting of security agency heads in Abuja.
Egbetokun said: “The police, military, and other security agencies involved did not use excessive force. We did not record any shooting incidents by the police”.
According to him, “the police and military did not deploy live ammunition. While our officers were injured, we did not use water cannons or rubber bullets. We only used teargas.”
