Soldiers Kill 5 In Nasarawa

Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, was yesterday thrown into confusion when armed soldiers shot and killed five youths at Mararaba area of Tudun Amba along Doma road about five kilometers from the city centre.

Eyewitness who spoke with Leadership said that youths along Doma road in Tudun Wada resisted the arrest of their colleagues by soldiers who were on their way to a peace keeping mission to Ekye Development Area in Doma LGA of the state.

Investigations further revealed that the youths blocked the road to protest the refusal of the army to release their colleagues who are in the custody of the army when the army opened fire on them.

The village head of Tudun Amba, Abubakar Abdullahi, who confirmed the incident to newsmen in his palace, said the soldiers shot and killed the boys without any provocation as they were arrested without any weapon.

Abdullahi said three of the victims died instantly while two died in the hospital, with two other lying critically in the hospital with serious bullet wounds.

When our correspondent visited Tudun Amba, people were seen in groups discussing the incident while palace chiefs from the emir of Lafia Alh Isah Mustapha Agwai were seen waiting to receive the dead bodies.

The state police commissioner Abayomi Akeremale confirmed the death of two people who were shot dead by the security operatives.

One of the soldiers who did not want his name in print confirmed to newsmen that the operatives killed three persons in the cause defending themselves when the villagers tried to prevent the military officers from taking away 20 suspects arrested with daggers and knives.

He said that youths had inflict a cut in the hand of one of the military officers during the fracas.