By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
A man identified as Malam Mohammed has narrated how his son, Ismail Mohammed, was killed in Samaru Zaria on Tuesday, by soldiers.
According to Vanguard, Mohammed said the soldiers who were scaring people away, followed his son to their house and shot him.
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. But it was after an hour that I could be able to reach home after Ismail was killed.”
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army says it will investigate the death of the teenager, Isma’il Muhammad, following an alleged shooting by a soldier on patrol in Samaru, Zaria.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Maj.-Gen. MLD Saraso, disclosed this when he visited the family of the deceased in Zaria on Tuesday.
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.
The deceased’s mother, Zainab Sani, 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 his son had just written his final secondary school examination in Zaria and was seeking admission to further his education when the incident occurred.