A soldier celebrating his birthday has allegedly killed a villager in the Marish Community of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The Bokkos Cultural Development Council Vanguard in a statement by its chairman Farmasum Fuddang said the soldier accidentally pulled the trigger at a relaxation centre in the community which allegedly hit and killed the villager.
Farmasum stated that the brutal act perpetrated by the trigger-happy soldier occurred on Monday evening.
According to him, the soldier fired random shots during his birthday celebration.
He said, instead of owning up to the accidental discharge, the victim was labelled as militant alongside residents that attempted to save the life of the passerby.
“We strongly condemn the perpetrator’s desperate attempt to conceal the crime by falsely labelling the innocent passerby and residents who tried to save his life by transporting him to the hospital as militants,” he said.
“This deceitful action has resulted in mass arrests and is an egregious affront to justice and humanity.”
The group is demanding swift and decisive action by the military and state authorities in apprehending and prosecuting the accused personnel while those arrested in connection to rescuing the victim should be released immediately.
But the Media and Information Officer of Operation Safe Haven Major Samson Zhakom told Newsmen that military authorities are handling the issue and a decision will be made soon.
The Plateau State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice Barrister Philemon Daffi, however, said his office is yet to receive any complaint from the group.