Five youths were on Monday shot dead by soldiers during a confrontation in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
The victims, who were members of the
youth vigilante group in the town, had allegedly accosted a convoy of
the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army, with headquarters in Maiduguri,
escorting ammunition that came in through the Maiduguri International
Airport in a private commercial trailer.
It was learnt that the youths had
blocked most of the roads in the town as a security precaution against
any attack during the campaign rally of the All Progressives Congress
presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), in the town.
The youths reportedly asked to check the
trailer and when the soldiers refused, they (the youths) forcefully
climbed the vehicle and also made a bonfire on the road to make it
difficult for the soldiers to move the trailer.
The action of the youths was said to
have angered the soldiers, who, according to eyewitnesses, resorted to
shooting at the youths.
The five died in the confrontation while many others sustained injuries.
A security source told our correspondent that it was wrong for the youths to accost soldiers.
The
source said, “It was an affront on the military for some armed youths
under any guise to accost military officials on the road.
“They even went a step further to set
bonfire which could have caused a massive explosion as the trailer was
filled with thousands of explosives.
“They left our men with no other choice but to shoot at them.”
The source said the trailer was
contracted by the military to convey the ammunition when the initial
Army vehicle ferrying the ammunition developed fault on the way.
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