The killing of a teenage boy, identified as Ismail Mohammed, on Tuesday has sparked fresh anger in Zaria, Kaduna State, even as questions trailed the exact point he was killed.
The mother was quoted as saying a bullet hit him near his gate, but a trending video showed him on an open space a few meters away from the gates of contiguous buildings.
Below is a video showing Ismail”s body behind a military patrol van:
Notwithstanding, the Nigerian Army has promised a thorough investigation after a delegation led by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) the 1st Divison of the Army, Major-General Lander Saraso, visited to commiserate with the family.
The late teenager was said to have been shot by the soldier inside his father’s house, while enforcing the 24-hour curfew imposed by the Kaduna State Government following a violent protest that broke out in Zaria and Kaduna on Monday.
Zainab Sani, Ismail’s mother, said the shooting occurred around 9.00 a.m., at their residence at Sarkin Pawa Street, Samaru, Zaria, by a trigger-happy soldier on patrol alongside his colleagues.
She said the late Isma’il was playing with his friends and brother in front of their house when they saw soldiers coming in their direction.
“With one of the soldiers pointing his gun at them, they ran into the house and shut the gate,” she said.
She alleged that the soldier, however, shot at the gate, thereby killing Isma’il, who stood by the gate to prevent the soldiers from gaining entrance.
She added that her son had just written his final secondary school examination in Zaria and was seeking admission to further his education when the incident occurred.
Confirming the incident in a statement, the Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, said the soldier involved in the killing of the teenager has since been arrested and is undergoing interrogation.
According to him, the incident happened when hoodlums blocked the road, setting fires, and brazenly attempted to attack the troops, prompting a soldier to fire a warning shot to scare the hoodlums away, which unfortunately led to the death of a teenager.
Visiting Maj.-Gen. Saraso, at the residence of Ismail, condoled with the family.
The GOC later addressed youths in the area, saying that he was in Zaria to commiserate with the family and the community over the incident.
He assured that a thorough investigation would be conducted on the matter and invited any community member with substantive evidence to forward the same for necessary action.
Saraso said the incident was unfortunate, urging the community to live in peace and always abide by the law and order.
On Monday, the Overseeing Commissioner, of the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, said the 24 hours curfew imposed on the state capital and Zaria was a measure taken in the interest of peace.
He said the state governor, Senator Uba Sani, declared the curfew following a meeting he had with the State Security Council.
“There is sufficient evidence to clearly indicate that the ongoing protest has been hijacked by criminal elements who have resorted to looting of shops and destruction of private and public property,” he said.
“In view of this unfortunate development, the Kaduna State Security Council has unanimously resolved to impose a 24-hour curfew on Kaduna and Zaria Metropolises and environs with immediate effect.
“Citizens are advised to remain indoors while security forces continue to work to maintain safety and security. Monitoring will be sustained for review of the curfew as required.”
