Protest: Soldier’s Bullet Pierced My Brother’s Throat – Sibling Of 16-Year-Old Victim

The Samaru community in Soba Local Government Area of Kaduna State is mourning the tragic death of a 16-year-old boy, Ismail Muhammad, who was allegedly shot dead by soldiers on the first day of the nationwide hunger protest.

Ismail, a fashion designer and a Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS 3) student of Government Secondary School Samaru, Zaria, was reportedly shot inside his family’s compound in Samaru, a suburb of Zaria city.

Speaking to Punch, the elder brother of the deceased, Muhammad Abubakar, recounted the harrowing incident.

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.

The Emir of Zaria, Alhaji Nuhu Bamalli, has visited the family of the victim.

The Emir during the visit said, “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.”

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.