The Nigerian Army has admitted that its troops mistakenly killed a 16-year-old boy, Ismail Mohammed, during the #EndBadGovernance protests in Samaru, Zaria, Kaduna, on Tuesday.
Army spokesperson Onyema Nwachukwu released a statement explaining that the fatal shooting occurred when a soldier intended to fire a warning shot to disperse hoodlums.
The protests had turned violent, with demonstrators burning tires and pelting stones at security personnel.
Troops were deployed to restore order and enforce a curfew imposed by Governor Uba Sani.
However, they faced fierce resistance from the protesters.
Mr. Nwachukwu narrated how the incident happened, saying, “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 responsible for the fatal shot has been taken in for questioning, and a delegation of officers was sent to condole with the bereaved family and attend Ismail’s burial.
Zainab Sani, the deceased’s mother, recounted that the shooting occurred around 9:00 a.m. at their residence on Sarkin Pawa Street.
Ismail was playing with his friends and brother when they saw soldiers approaching.
“With one of the soldiers pointing his gun at them, they ran into the house and shut the gate,” Mrs Sani said.
She alleged that the soldier then shot at the gate, killing Ismail, who was trying to prevent the soldiers from entering.
Mrs Sani added that Ismail had recently completed his final secondary school examination in Zaria and was seeking admission to further his education when the tragic incident occurred.
