Army Chief Must Fish Out Killers Of Abdulsamad Jamiu
By Yemi Adebowale
Like all parents, Sani and Habiba Jamiu were looking forward to the passing out of their son, Abdulsamad, from the NYSC scheme. He was serving in Abuja. The passing out was supposed to happen in October. Sadly, it will not happen. Sani and Habiba’s dream died on April 25. On this Black Saturday, Abdulsamad was killed by some reckless men of the Nigerian Army Guards Brigade at his home in Shagari Estate, Dei Dei, Abuja. The Army claimed he was killed in a cross fire while trying to apprehend an armed robbery gang in the area.
The Nigerian Army was so brazen after killing this innocent boy. The Acting Public Relations Officer of the Headquarters Guards Brigade, Abuja, Lieutenant Olawuyi Odunola, shamelessly issued a statement thus: “Troops of the Guards Brigade Quick Response Group, who were on routine night patrol, responded to a distress call over an armed robbery incident in the area. Upon arrival, the troops came under gunfire from the fleeing armed robbers, resulting in a shootout. Jamiu was caught in the crossfire during the brief but intense exchange between the soldiers and the armed robbers.”
Lies. Damn lies. Crossfire inside Abdulsamad’s room? Did the soldiers come under fire in Abdulsamad’s room? Abdulsamad was never caught in any crossfire between the soldiers and the armed robbers. There was nothing like “troops coming under gunfire from fleeing armed robbers.” The soldiers forcibly entered the house. Abdulsamad was shot dead by the soldiers right in his room, in his parents’ house, in the Shagari Estate. Abdulsamad was the only one in his room. This is according to the sister of the late NYSC member, Farida, who was in the house when the killing happened.
Farida narrated: “They (soldiers) asked me to come outside, and they took me outside to show me a broken barbed wire that was more damaged than it was before. They also showed me a broken window. They asked me whether the window was like that. I said, yes. I thought they wanted to tell me that my brother had escaped. I wanted to go into my brother’s room, but they dragged me, and I struggled with them until I discovered that my brother was dead and part of his brain was beside him on the floor. I was just screaming, and I ran back outside. And one of the soldiers was threatening me and asked me to shut up.”
The father of late Abdulsamad narrated his own experience with the soldiers thus: “They said that they were pursuing a thief, but they couldn’t get 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. I asked how they gained entrance into the main house, and they said that it seemed the door was not locked. And when they gained access into the main house, they said they were trying to open the door (Samad’s room), and that somebody was there trying to block them from opening the door, and what happened now happened. How did the situation lead to a fatal shooting inside a room? They said ‘Oga calm down, it was a mistake.’
Habiba, the mother of the deceased, added: “I was not around. I travelled on Thursday, hoping to come back on Saturday to meet my son at home, only for me to receive a call from my neighbour around 2:30am. She called to say that she was hearing gunshots and asked if there was no problem. My son might have responded to the banging on his door before being shot. I don’t know; maybe he woke up from sleep and was trying to find out who was there, and they shot him. They shot the door twice.”
Army’s version of why Abdulsamad was shot and killed was obviously a cock-and-bull story. Fabricated! The Army claimed troops were working to repel the robbers and protect residents of the community from harm when the killing occurred. Haba! Residents of the estate are unaware of the so-called attack by armed robbers. A weaponless boy was shot and killed in his room in the name of running after armed robbers in the estate. Then, they turn around to say that it was a mistake. Which mistake? This is murder.
The Headquarters Guards Brigade said it had initiated a thorough investigation to fully ascertain the circumstances surrounding the killing, adding, “we remain committed to transparency and accountability and findings will be made available in due course.” Nothing will come out of this investigation. It is deceit. This is just another step to sweep this murder under the carpet.
Today, I am challenging Army Chief, General Waidi Shuaibu, to fish out the killers of Abdulsamad. They must be brought to book. The lawless soldiers involved in this killing must be brought to justice.General Shuaibu must get justice for late Abdulsamad.