•Report by Kamil Opeyemi
The Nigerian Army on Monday confirmed the case of a soldier who shot his colleagues and himself dead at Forward Operations Base, Rabah, Sokoto State on Sunday.
Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, stated in Abuja that investigations had begun into the incident.
Mwachukwu stated that circumstances leading to the incident could not be immediately ascertained since the soldier who killed his colleagues also shot himself dead.
“The Nigerian Army has instituted investigations into the unfortunate incident of a soldier, who killed his colleagues and himself at Forward Operations Base Rabbah, Sokoto State. The sad and rare incident occurred on the evening of Sunday, March 5, 2023, at the FOB, where troops were deployed for Internal Security Operations,” the statement read.
“The circumstances leading to the incident could not be immediately ascertained, as the soldier who killed his colleagues also shot himself immediately.
“The authorities of the Nigerian Army are deeply concerned about this unusual and ugly development and have therefore instituted a Board of Inquiry to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident. It is envisaged that the findings of the BOI will help forestall such ugly and bizarre occurrences in the future.”
He added that the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division and Commander, Joint Task Force, Northwest Operation Hadarin Daji Maj.-Gen. Godwin Mutkut and other senior officers had visited the location.
According to him, the GOC commiserated with troops for losing their colleagues in such an unfortunate situation
The army spokesman urged them to be their brother’s keepers and report any anomaly observed amongst their colleagues in order to forestall such incidents, encouraging them to remain calm and committed to the discharge of their duties.