Nigerian Soldier runs amok, opens fire on colleague, kills senior officer

Nigerian Soldier runs amok, opens fire on colleague, kills senior officer

A soldier stationed in the beleaguered north west with the Joint Task Force North West Operation HADARIN DAJI (OPHD) reportedly went berserk, opened fire on his colleagues and killed one of his senior officers.

The soldier was later gunned down by his colleague to stop further calamity.

The officer killed by Kingsley – a Second Lieutenant – was identified as OC Ukachuckwu (N/19548)).

The tragic incident happened on Sunday at about 6:05 pm, a military source disclosed.

James was said to have run amok at the Forward Operational Base in Magami, Sokoto and opened fire, killing Ukachuckwu before he was killed by other soldiers.

Some of his colleagues were also injured during the incident. They have been hospitalised and currently in stable condition.

A military signal exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters confirmed the incident.

The signal signed by Major MD Mikaailu read, “I TXT(.) SPECIAL SITREP (.) INCIDENT REPORT (.) AT ABOUT 041805HRS(.) WHILE ON STAND TO PERIOD 03NA/53/1572 CPL JAMES KINGSLEY FROM 26BN ATT TO TEAM 3 FOR OPHD FIRED 2LT OC UKACHUKWU (N/19548) AT TANGO 2 FOB MAGAMI (.) THE SLDRS WENT ON FIRING EVERYONE ON SIGHT(.) AND HE WAS GUNNED DOWN BY FELLOW SLDRS PRESENT AT THE TANGO(.) BOTH LATE OFFR AND SLDR WERE RUSHED TO MAGAMI GEN HOSP WHERE THE OFFR WAS CONFIRMED DEAD(.) SIT WITHIN OWN FOB IS UNDER CON (.) SY SIT REMAINS CC (.) OTHERWISE NTR (.)DETAIL LATER (.) PSE ACK///.”

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Concerns have continued to mount over the state of mental health of Nigerian soldiers, especially the ones battling terrorists in the North-East.

In March 2023, a soldier fighting Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East opened fire on his colleague and killed him after a mild altercation.

The deceased soldier was identified as Private Diko.

According to military sources, the duo belonged to Operation Desert Sanity and joined the army in 2020.

The incident occurred in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno state.

Between 2017 and 2023, there have been at least nine cases of soldiers going berserk and unleashing terror on their colleagues and civilians, killing them and in many cases committing suicide afterward.

The latest incident happened less than four months after a soldier shot an aid worker and another soldier dead and injured a co-pilot of a United Nations helicopter in Borno State.

The recurring nature of such cases has raised concerns about whether soldiers fighting Boko Haram are receiving adequate mental and psychological treatment.

Some of the soldiers have in the past complained about poor welfare, overstaying in the region and abysmal treatment by the military hierarchy.

They said they were battling with depression and post-traumatic disorder because the authorities refused to rotate them.

Nigerian Soldier runs amok, opens fire on colleague, kills senior officer