They told me it was a mistake, says father of slain corps member

Sani Jimoh, the father of Abdulsamad Jamiu, a National Youth Service Corps member allegedly killed by soldiers in Dei-Dei, Abuja, has said the Nigerian Army admitted responsibility for his son’s death, saying that it was a mistake.

PUNCH Online had reported that the Guards Brigade headquarters of the Nigerian Army had said that the deceased was caught in crossfire during a gun battle with suspected armed robbers.

In a statement last Sunday, the Brigade’s spokesperson, Odunola Olawuyi, said troops responded to a distress call about an armed robbery and came under fire from fleeing suspects.

“Upon arrival, the troops came under gunfire from the fleeing armed robbers, resulting in a brief but intense exchange. In the course of the engagement, Mr Jamiu was caught in the crossfire,” the statement read.

He described the incident as “tragic,” adding that efforts were made to secure the area and protect residents, but Jamiu later died from his injuries.

A delegation of the Nigerian Army visited the family on Monday to offer condolences and inspect the scene of the incident.

However, the father of the deceased and his family have rejected that account, insisting that “physical evidence disproves an exchange of gunfire.”

Speaking with TheCable on Monday during a visit to the family home, Jimoh said he and his wife were away in Kogi State for a burial when they received a distress call from their daughter around 2 a.m. on April 25.

According to him, the soldiers told him they entered the compound while pursuing a suspected thief.

“They said that they were pursuing a thief, but they couldn’t see the thief, so they went through the back and saw that the barbed wire was altered, and they thought someone had jumped through it inside my compound,” he said.

Jimoh added that the operatives claimed they gained access to the house because the door appeared unlocked and attempted to force open his son’s room.

“I asked how they gained entrance into the main house, and they said that it seemed the door was not locked.

“And when you gained access into the main house, they were trying to open the door (Samad’s room), and somebody was there trying to block them from opening the door, and what happened now happened,” he said.

The bereaved father said he questioned how the situation escalated into a fatal shooting, insisting that his son was inside his room when he was killed.

“They said that Oga calm down, and it was a mistake,” Jimoh stated.

Jimoh also disclosed that the Divisional Police Officer in Dei-Dei described the incident as an unfortunate and careless error, adding that the police required him to submit a written statement and an undertaking before releasing his son’s body.

Meanwhile, the deceased’s sister, Jamiu Farida, said she was awakened by gunshots and later dragged by soldiers.

“I pleaded with them that if I get down, they should not harm me,” she said.

“I thought they wanted to tell me that my brother escaped until I discovered that my brother was dead and part of his brain was beside him on the floor,” she added.

She further alleged that one of the soldiers threatened her to remain silent, while vigilante members were later called to clean the scene.

“The soldiers called the vigilantes to clean the blood, and they did. They also packed his brain and buried it in the house close by,” she said.