A Kaduna State resident, Malam Mohammed, father of the 18-year-old Ismail Mohammed, who was killed in Samaru Zaria on Tuesday, has accused soldiers of the Nigerian Army of following his son home and shooting him dead.
In an interview with newsmen, Malam Mohammed said that soldiers who were scaring people away during the ongoing nationwide hunger protest tagged #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria followed his son to their house and shot him dead.
He said, “My son, about 19 years old, was outside the house when the soldiers started shooting. He ran inside and locked the door, but the soldiers followed him and shot through the door.
“I was at Hayin Dogo when Abubakar called to tell me what happened. It was after an hour that I could reach home after Ismail was killed.”
Meanwhile, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Maj.-Gen. MLD Saraso, during a visit to the family of the deceased in Zaria on Tuesday said that the Nigerian Army had ordered an investigation into Isma’il’s death.
Saraso, who addressed the local youths, expressed condolences and assured a thorough investigation.
He encouraged community members with evidence to come forward.
The deceased’s mother, Zainab Sani, stated that the shooting occurred around 9:00 a.m. at their residence on Sarkin Pawa Street, Samaru, Zaria.
She described the soldier as “trigger-happy” and said he was on patrol with his colleagues when the incident happened.
According to her, Isma’il was playing with his friends and brother in front of their house when they saw the soldiers approaching.
As one soldier pointed his gun at them, they ran into the house and shut the gate. She alleged that the soldier shot at the gate, killing Isma’il, who was trying to prevent the soldiers from entering.
She added that Isma’il had just completed his final secondary school examination in Zaria and was seeking admission to further his education when the incident occurred.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the army confirmed the death of the boy, Ismail Mohammed, in Zaria.
The army spokesperson, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, in a release had stated that the teenager’s death resulted from troops firing a warning shot to deter hoodlums and enforce the curfew imposed by the state government.
The curfew was in the wake of the #EndBadGovernance peaceful protests in the state, which was however hijacked by some hoodlums.
Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations, had claimed that the Nigerian Army troops received a distress call reporting that a large group of hoodlums had gathered in Samaru, burning tyres on the road and pelting stones at security personnel.
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