Nigerian Soldier Goes Wild, Shoots Colleague Dead During Altercation In Kano

An unidentified soldier has opened fire on a senior colleague in Kano State.

The deceased was identified as Sergeant Suleiman.

According to military sources, the two were posted as guards to a retired Army General’s house. The incident occurred during the week in Kano.

“Both of them were guarding the residence of a retired General in Kano. The deceased was a Sergeant while the suspect is a Private from 21NA. The CCTV footage reportedly exposed him. They had an argument, after which the Sergeant entered the restroom. As he was coming out, the Private allegedly fired at him three times,” one of the sources said.

Another source confirmed the suspect was recently moved out of Borno, where he had been fighting Boko Haram insurgents.

“I know this accused soldier from Maiduguri, but I can’t remember his name. He is a Private and from 21NA,” he said.

The cause of the incident is not yet known. However, the recurring nature of such incidents has raised concerns about whether soldiers fighting terrorism are receiving adequate mental and psychological treatment after rotation and transfer from war zone.

Some soldiers have in the past complained about poor welfare, overstaying in a particular region and treatment by the military hierarchy.

Recently, there have been allegations of corruption in the Nigerian Army, which some soldiers have blamed for their loss of morale.

According to some soldiers, corruption is affecting the prosecution of the anti-terrorism war in the Northeast and other operations.

In 2023, a soldier fighting Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast allegedly opened fire on a colleague and killed him.

The deceased soldier was identified as Private Diko.

According to military sources, the two were troops of Operation Desert Sanity and joined the army in 2020. The incident occurred in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.

“They were having an argument, and before you know it, he killed him (Diko). Both being from 20NA were posted to 103 Battalion in Enugu but were moved to Borno to fight the Boko Haram insurgency,” a military source told SaharaReporters.

Also in 2023, another soldier identified as Lance Corporal Nwobodo Chinoso allegedly shot dead the Commander of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Rabah in Sokoto State, Lt. Sam Oladapo.

Chinoso also allegedly shot the FOB Rabah Command Sergeant Major (CSM), Sgt. Iliyasu Inusa, and another private soldier, Attahiru Mohammed, before allegedly taking his own life.

SaharaReporters gathered that the incident happened less than four months after a soldier allegedly shot an aid worker and another soldier dead and injured a co-pilot of a United Nations helicopter in Borno State.

In 2022, Yahaya Ibrahim, a soldier fighting Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast, allegedly opened fire on a colleague, Abubakar Mohammed.

Ibrahim, with army number 18NA/77/0725, was said to have shot Mohammed (96NA/42/4975) in the shoulder from behind.

In 2021, Kila Jima, a corporal in the Army’s 152 Battalion, Banki, Borno State, allegedly died by suicide.

In March 2021, a soldier, Bello Useni, with the Nigerian Army School of Armour in Bauchi, allegedly died by suicide.

In September 2020, a lance corporal attached to the Army’s 27 Task Force Brigade in Buni Gari, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, allegedly died by suicide at his duty post.

In July 2020, a soldier in the Army’s 202 Battalion in Bama, Borno State, allegedly killed a lieutenant after being denied leave to visit his family.

In 2019, a soldier allegedly died by suicide in Abuja. In 2017, another soldier allegedly died by suicide after killing a superior officer.

The recurring nature of such incidents has raised concerns about whether soldiers fighting Boko Haram are receiving adequate mental and psychological treatment. (SaharaReporters)