Army high command say soldier who killed officer in Maiduguri did so because he was depressed

NIGERIAN Army commanders have revealed that the soldier who recently shot an officer dead in Borno State did so because he was depressed and not because of any other reason according to their findings.

Yesterday, a non-commissioned officer serving in Second Battalion of the 21 Special Armoured Brigade in Bama, Borno State, went berserk and shot a subaltern officer, killing him.  There have been all sorts of reasons being put forward to describe the incident, including the fact that the troops in Borno State might be on the verge of a mutiny.

Other commentators have alluded to the fact that the incident might be related to the recent recruitment of former Boko Haram fighters into the Nigerian Army. Repentant terrorists are now being incorporated into the Nigerian Army at a time when soldiers are being court-marshalled for objecting to some of their orders.

However, Nigerian Army spokesman Col Sagir Musa, has dismissed all these conspiracy theories. Col Sagir said the incident occurred when the soldier approached the officer who was standing in front of the unit’s headquarters making a phone call.

He added that the soldier who carried out the shooting is in custody undergoing investigation while the general situation in the unit remains calm. According to Col Sagir, the remains of the deceased officer has been evacuated to Seventh Division Medical Services Hospital in Maiduguri.

Col Sagir said: “Investigation into the case has since been instituted to determine the circumstances that led to the unfortunate incident. The family of the deceased has already been contacted.

“The Nigerian Army sympathises and condoles with the family at this trying moment and pray to the Almighty God to repose the soul of the departed and grant his family and other loved ones the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. May his gentle soul rest in peace."