The people of the Samaru community in the Soba Local Government Area of Kaduna State are mourning a 16-year-old boy, Ismail Muhammad, who was allegedly shot dead by soldiers on the first day of the nationwide hunger protest.
Our correspondent, who visited the community and the home of the slain teenager last Thursday, reported that the atmosphere was enveloped by sadness.
An elder brother of the deceased, Muhammad Abubakar, who was an eyewitness, told The PUNCH that Ismail, a fashion designer and a JSS 3 student of the Government Secondary School Samaru, Zaria, was shot inside their compound at Samaru, a suburb of the Zaria city.
When our Correspondent visited the family at Samaru, Zaria, he observed that the sad incident left his parents and relations in shock as neighbouring residents gathered in circles discussing the matter.
Narrating how the tragedy happened, Abubakar said, “We were all outside, including some of our neighbours, watching what was happening when we saw a soldier in our area. Everybody ran inside; I was the last person to enter the house and I locked the door.
“Later, I heard two gunshots, and then my second sibling, Usman Muhammad, shouted that soldiers had killed Ismail. I went to the door and peeped. There, I confirmed that Ismail was shot, but I could not go to where he was. The soldier fired another shot at the door.”
Abubakar said after the soldiers left the area, “some of our neighbours came knocking at the door.”
“I opened the door, and I saw that he (Ismail) was shot in the throat and in the back, around his spinal cord.
“I carried him and started rushing to the hospital. On our way, I saw two soldiers and while I was telling them they killed my kid brother, some soldiers stationed around the market square came with a Hilux van and nearly hit us but I crossed a gutter and left Ismail’s body there. After then, I don’t know what happened again,” Abubakar stated.
According to him, Ismail was home and never participated in the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest.
“We’re calling on the government to ensure justice and fairness for Ismail who was brutally killed,” the brother said.
During Thursday’s visit, our correspondent reported that the Emir of Zaria, Alhaji Nuhu Bamalli, visited the family of the victim.
“We have talked about this already, that virtually everybody in this country is aware of the harsh economy.
“Protest that’ll lead to vandalism of people’s property and loss of life is what we’re running away from. Everybody is disturbed by the sad incident coupled with the banditry activities. Our farms are not accessible because of bandits and these bad incidents are happening virtually every day,” the Emir lamented.
He called on residents to synergise with security forces to ensure bad elements did not infiltrate their communities.
The Emir also commended the Nigerian Army for raising a commission of inquiry to unravel the circumstances surrounding Ismail’s killing, so that justice can be served to the deceased and the family.
