Nigerian soldier runs amok, kills colleague, aid worker

A soldier from the 25th Task Force Brigade in Borno went on a rampage on Thursday and shot and killed a humanitarian aid worker while wounding a UN pilot. Another soldier was also shot dead.

Reports said he would have taken more lives, but was killed by the quick intervention of colleagues.

Faced with the incident, the “HADIN KAI” Operation Theater Command expressed its regret for what happened in one of its military bases.

Samson Zhakom, Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, said the soldier shot and killed a worker of one of the NGOs providing humanitarian aid in the North East.

“The same soldier also killed another soldier and wounded the co-pilot of one of the UN helicopters. Troops on the ground immediately neutralized the itinerant workers,” he said.

He explained that the injured co-pilot has been stabilized, while the bodies of the deceased have been taken to the 7 Division Hospital.

He added that a detailed investigation of the incident and subsequent remedial actions have begun.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the soldier came out of the base in the remote town of Damboa in Borno on Thursday and opened fire. Ak47 rifle.

The development forced humanitarian workers from an international non-governmental organization who were waiting at the military base to board a helicopter to Maiduguri to go to safety.

---

One of the humanitarian agency workers, Abdulkareem Ibrahim, told NAN that after realizing that the soldier had emptied his magazine and run out of bullets, he pulled out a knife.

“He stabbed a female worker at an international NGO four times, killing the helicopter pilot before injuring him,” Mr Ibrahim said.

Mr. Ibrahim added that the enraged soldier turned around again and chased after his colleagues before shooting him dead to prevent further devastation.

He said the pilot and crew returned safely to Maiduguri to stabilize the injured co-pilot at the University of Maiduguri Hospital. (ID)