Residents of Barikallahu, a village near the Air Force Institute of Technology in Kaduna State, are terrified after Nigerian Air Force (NAF) troops raided the area on Wednesday night, killing one person and injuring two others.
Our correspondent obtained various videos of the incident, which took place around 10 p.m.
The clip showed a vehicle covered in military camouflage with the NAF logo coming into the town.
Aside from the driver, our correspondent observed five armed individuals exiting the vehicle.
In one of the films, our correspondent witnessed locals running as the soldiers neared.
One videotape shows officials apprehending and abusing a man while others inside the truck yelled in pidgin English, “Put am inside, put am inside” (Put him inside).
Another video showed soldiers firing intermittently into the air before the film was abruptly terminated.
A separate video depicted a large throng mourning the deceased victim.
Speaking anonymously for fear of retaliation, a local told our correspondent that NAF personnel had been violent toward neighbors before Wednesday’s event.
The homeowner said that an NAF member had a disagreement with a resident because a woman had mobilized his comrades to the community.
He said, “This happened at a village not far from the Air Force Institute of Technology in Kaduna. Before this incident, residents had a lot to say about the aggressiveness of the soldiers. There was a time when a curfew was introduced in this area, that people should not go out. We were watching football, and the soldiers came and scattered everywhere; people’s properties went missing, among others.
“Yesterday’s attack started because of a fight between a soldier and a resident over a woman. The soldier later returned with his colleagues, and they started beating people, shooting into the air, and chasing everyone.”
“Unfortunately, the person who was killed knew nothing about the whole thing; he was hit by a bullet from the gunshot by the soldiers, and he died. The two others were shot—one on his shoulder, the other on his leg. They are presently in the hospital. It was a tragic incident that has caused panic in the whole of the community.”
Another eyewitness, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, described the chaos, saying, “The soldiers entered our area, killed one person, and injured two others. They were just shooting, anyhow. I saw the boy die right in front of me,” he said.
When contacted, Air Force spokeswoman Air Vice Marshal Olusola Akinboyewa acknowledged that an inquiry was underway.
“Investigation is ongoing as we speak. The Kaduna Base Commander is currently engaging with the affected community,” Akinboyewa stated.
