The Nigerian Army took responsibility for the death of a 16-year-old boy, Ismail Mohammed, during a hunger protest in Zaira, Kaduna State. The Army explained that the boy was fatally shot by troops firing a warning shot to control unruly individuals and enforce the state government’s curfew.
The Kaduna State government had imposed a 24-hour curfew due to the #EndBadGovernance protest, which was exploited by some troublemakers.
Nwachukwu clarified that Nigerian Army troops were alerted to a distress call concerning a sizable gathering of troublemakers in Samaru.
He mentioned that these individuals were setting tires on fire on the road and throwing stones at security forces.
He explained that the troops swiftly responded, reaching the location to scatter the crowd and uphold the curfew mandated by the state government.
Nwachukwu stated, “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 years old boy, Ismail Mohammed.”
He also mentioned that the soldier implicated had been arrested and was currently undergoing questioning at the time of this update.
“Saddened by the unfortunate incident, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, has 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 deceased was buried according to Islamic rites with senior military officers of the Nigerian Army in attendance,” he added.
