The Nigerian Army has confirmed that one of its soldiers fatally shot a teenager during protests in Zaria, Kaduna State, contradicting earlier police statements that no live ammunition was used against protesters.
On August 7, during a media briefing in Abuja, Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun firmly denied the use of live bullets. He stated, “The police and the military, indeed no other security agency involved in the management of this protest has deployed excessive use of force. From our record, there were no shooting incidents by the police. The police or military did not use any live ammunition in the management of these protests. Instead, we have had cases where our officers were injured and are in critical condition as we speak.”
He added, “I will dismiss that as fake news and very wrong allegations. We didn’t use excessive force at all. We didn’t even deploy the whole of our strength in this protest even when it turned violent. We have water cannons we did not deploy, we have rubber bullets, we didn’t use. All that we have used in the management of this protest is teargas and nothing more.”
However, 24 hours later, the Nigerian Army admitted that a soldier had opened fire on a protester, resulting in the death of 16-year-old Ismail Mohammed on August 6, 2024, in Zaria.
Army spokesman Onyema Nwachukwu provided details of the incident, stating, “On August 6, 2024, troops of the Nigerian Army received a distress call about a large group of hoodlums gathered in Samaru, burning tyres and throwing stones at security personnel. The troops mobilised to the scene to disperse the crowd and enforce the state-imposed curfew.”
Nwachukwu continued, “Upon arrival, the hoodlums attempted to attack the troops, prompting a soldier to fire a warning shot, which unfortunately resulted in the death of a 16-year-old boy, Ismail Mohammed. The soldier involved has been arrested and is currently undergoing interrogation.”
This admission by the Nigerian Army stands in contrast to the earlier police claims, raising questions about the use of force and communication strategies by security agencies during the protests.
