Officers of the Nigerian Air Force unleashed terror on the residents of Mabera area of Sokoto metropolis killing two people, a young man and a 40-year-old mother of seven children after a girlfriend to one of the officers reported being “taunted by youth” in the neighbourhood.
According to Daily Nigerian, an unidentified lady reported to her soldier boyfriend that she was taunted by some youth in the area and his reaction was to show up with a truckload of soldiers to retaliate on Sunday, October 20, 2019.
But when the lady got to the scene of the alleged incident, she couldn’t identify the culprits. So the soldiers decided to punish all the residents by telling them to do frog jump.
“The soldiers trailed a student, Abdulsalam Lawan, who fled the siege to a nearby house, killing him and a 40-year-old mother of seven, Maryam Abdulrahman,” the news report said.
“They often come and brutalise us in this area. We were at a tea joint when they came last night around 8:30pm. They started by shooting sporadically and then asked the soldier’s girlfriend to point at those who taunted her,” an eyewitness told the online news platform.
“When she failed to identify the real culprits, they meted out frog jump punishment on us. Those who ran away were shot.
“At least five people sustained gunshot injuries while two people died,” a witness Sani Mabera said.
The bodies of the victims have been deposited at Specialist Hospital, Sokoto for autopsy.
In reaction, the Nigerian Air Force has issued an e-mailed statement to The Trent on Monday, October 21, 2019, denying the account of the Daily Nigerian.
The statement, signed by Ibikunle Daramola, an Air Commodore and the director of the Public Relations and Information, of the Nigerian Air Force, said that the incident was a “fracas between Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel and suspected Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) youths within the community”.
“An online report by Daily Nigerian has alleged the unfortunate killing of 2 persons at Mabera Area of Sokoto Metropolis yesterday, 20 October 2019, as a result of a fracas between Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel and suspected Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) youths within the Community,” the statement read.
“However, details regarding the unfortunate incident, which also led to some NAF personnel sustaining serious injuries, are still sketchy.
“Consequently, the NAF is investigating the matter with a view to ascertaining the facts as well as establishing the degree of involvement of its personnel.
“It is pertinent to reiterate that the NAF is a highly disciplined and professional force that does not tolerate or condone acts of indiscipline or violations of human rights of citizens.
“Therefore, every NAF personnel found guilty of misdemeanor, in the past, had always been dealt with in accordance extant laws and the general public duly informed. We wish to assure the general public that, in line with the NAF’s usual practice, this case will be investigated thoroughly and appropriate action taken.
“The public will be kept informed on the outcome of the investigation,” the statement ended.
