The authority of the Nigerian Army has disclosed the arrest and detention of a soldier alleged to be involved in the killing of a 16-year protester in Zaria, Kaduna State.
This was contained in a statement by the Army spokesperson, Maj-Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, on Wednesday, August 7.
Condemning the incident, Nwachukwu stated that the unfortunate killing happened on August 6. He said the boy was killed when army troops were mobilized to stop some hoodlums in Samaru, a sub-urban of Zaria.
The statement reads: “On 6 August 2024, troops of the Nigerian Army received a distress call that some hoodlums gathered in Samaru in large numbers. Burning tires on the road and pelting stones on security personnel. The troops immediately mobilized 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.”
Nwachukwu informed that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, 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.
The Army spokesman stated that the deceased had been buried according to islamic rites. He noted that some senior military officers of the Nigerian Army were attendance during the burial.
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