The Nigerian Army has announced the arrest of the soldier responsible for killing a teenage protester in Zaria, Kaduna State. Daily Struggle...
The Nigerian Army has announced the arrest of the soldier responsible for killing a teenage protester in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Daily Struggle previously reported that a soldier on patrol in Samaru, Zaria, shot and killed the victim, Isma’il Muhammad, a secondary school graduate, at approximately 9 a.m. on Tuesday.
Samaru community hosts hundreds of staff and students from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Muhammad was reportedly shot dead at his residence on Sarkin Pawa Street.
Zainab Sani, Muhammad’s mother, recounted that he was playing with friends and his brother in front of their house when they saw soldiers approaching with one of them pointing his gun at them. They ran into their house and shut the gate.
Major General M.L.D. Saraso, the GOC 1 Division, visited the residence of the deceased and met with the bereaved family. Addressing the local youths after interacting with the family, Saraso expressed his condolences to the family and the community. He assured that the incident would be thoroughly investigated and urged anyone with substantive evidence to come forward.
General Saraso described the incident as "unfortunate" and encouraged the community to live in peace and always abide by the law.
In a statement on Wednesday, Army Spokesperson Onyema Nwachukwu said soldiers were enforcing the 24-hour curfew imposed on Kaduna and Zaria metropolis following reports of violence during the #EndBadGovernance protests in Kaduna. He added that soldiers were attacked by hoodlums while enforcing the curfew in Zaria. The hoodlums were reportedly throwing stones at security personnel and burning tires despite the curfew.
Nwachukwu stated that the soldier fired a warning shot in an attempt to disperse the protesters, but accidentally killed the boy.
"On August 6, 2024, troops of the Nigerian Army received a distress call that some hoodlums had gathered in Samaru in large numbers, burning tires on the road and pelting stones at security personnel. The troops immediately mobilized and arrived at the scene to disperse the mob and enforce the curfew imposed by the state government.
"Upon arrival, the hoodlums brazenly attempted to attack the troops, prompting a soldier to fire a warning shot to scare them away, which unfortunately led to the death of 16-year-old Ismail Mohammed.
"The soldier involved has since been arrested and is undergoing interrogation at the time of this report."
The statement added that Chief of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, had sent a high-powered delegation to visit and condole with the family of the deceased.
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