A passenger has been shot dead by a trigger-happy Nigerian Army officer, identified as Abubakar Idris, in Abuja, on Monday, 2 January, 2023.
Idris who is attached to the Presidential Guard Brigade, opened fire on some motorcyclists in Abuja, killing a passenger on the spot.
It was gathered that the incident happened around 1 am close to a bridge along Aguiyi Ironsi Way, Asokoro, where Idris and his colleagues were stationed for guard duty.
Sources privy to the incident confirmed to The Punch correspondent that the deceased was taken to the Asokoro District Hospital, Abuja, for an autopsy.
One of the sources said: “It was a sad incident. The Army Brigade officers were on duty last night (Sunday/Monday) when Idris sighted some motorcyclists approaching them close to the bridge.
“Officer Idris was trying to stop one of the bike men, who was carrying a passenger, but in the process he opened fire on them, killing the passenger immediately, while the bike man and other motorcyclists fled.”
Another source revealed that the soldiers fled the scene, abandoning the corpse until the arrival of the Police.
He said: “Not long after it happened, the soldiers left the scene and abandoned the corpse. But police officers later got to the scene around 3 am. The corpse was taken to the Asokoro District Hospital for an autopsy.”
The spokesperson for the brigade, Abakpa Godfrey, said he was not aware of the incident.
Abakpa said: “I can’t comment on that for now. I was actually on a pass and I just got back to Abuja, so I am not aware of it.”
