A grieving family is demanding justice after a 13-year-old boy, Master Timothy Daniel Monday, was allegedly shot dead by a soldier attached to Sterling Oil Exploration & Energy Production Company Ltd. (Sterling Global) during the New Year celebrations in Akwa Ibom State.
Timothy, a JSS 2 student of Bensona International School, Borokiri, Port Harcourt, was said to have attended a Cross-Over Service alongside his siblings and other family members at Mount Zion Church, Ette, in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area when the tragic incident occurred on Thursday, January 1, 2026.
According to his elder sister, Miss Miracle Daniel Monday, who witnessed the incident, she and her siblings briefly stepped out of the church to urinate when they were confronted by soldiers deployed to guard Sterling Global facilities in the area.
Miracle narrated that the soldiers ordered them to stop, and while she pleaded to be allowed to finish, one of the soldiers reportedly became infuriated, pushed her to the ground, slapped her and also allegedly assaulted her sister. Another soldier later intervened, apologized and asked them to leave.
However, as they were walking away, gunshots reportedly rang out. Moments later, it was discovered that 13-year-old Timothy had been shot. He died on the spot.
The distraught family immediately reported the case to the Nigerian Army Cantonment, 6 Battalion Wellington Basi Barracks, Ibagwa, Abak Local Government Area, and also lodged a complaint with the police.
Speaking with the family days after the incident, Miracle expressed deep pain that neither the Nigerian Army nor Sterling Global had reached out to the bereaved family, despite the gravity of the incident.
The family is calling on the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Army Staff, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 6 Battalion, and the Akwa Ibom State Government to ensure a thorough investigation, prosecution of the soldier involved, and adequate compensation for the family.
They described Sterling Global’s silence as “insensitive and unacceptable”.
The incident has sparked outrage, with many Nigerians insisting no citizen deserves to die in such a manner, especially at the hands of security personnel meant to protect lives.
Section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees the right to life, and citizens are urging authorities not to allow the case to be swept under the carpet.
As of the time of filing this report, Sterling Global and the Nigerian Army were yet to issue any official statement on the matter.
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