Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, an Army spokesperson, reported that a soldier accidentally killed a protester while attempting to disperse a crowd in Samaru on August 6, 2024.
The soldier, whose identity has not been disclosed, fired a warning shot that tragically resulted in the death of 16-year-old Ismail Mohammed.
The soldier has been arrested and is currently undergoing interrogation.
The Army spokesman explained that troops of the Nigerian Army on 6 August, 2024, received a distress call that “some hoodlums gathered in Samaru in large numbers, burning tires on the road and pelting stones on security personnel”.
He said troops immediately mobilised and arrived at the scene to disperse the mob and enforce the curfew imposed by the Kaduna 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,” he said.
Nwachukwu stressed that “the soldier involved has since been arrested and undergoing interrogation as at the time of this report.”
In response to the incident, Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja has sent a delegation led by General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Maj.-Gen. Lander Saraso, to offer condolences to the family of the deceased.
The burial of Ismail Mohammed was conducted according to Islamic rites, with senior military officers present.
