A soldier from the 25 Task Force Brigade in Borno went on the rampage on Thursday, killing a female charity worker while seriously wounding a UN pilot.
According to reports, if not for the rapid action of his teammates who neutralised him, he would have claimed more lives.
The Theatre Command of “Operation Hadin Kai” responded to the tragedy by expressing remorse for the terrible event that occurred at one of its military sites.
The soldier shot and killed a member of one of the NGOs providing humanitarian relief in the Northeast, according to Maj. Samson Zhakom, Assistant Director, Army Public Relations Headquarters, Theatre Command.
“Same soldier also killed another soldier and injured the co-pilot of one of the UN helicopters. Own troops on the ground immediately neutralised the errant personnel,’’ he said.
The injured co-pilot had been stabilised, he said, while the deceased’s bodies had been transported to the 7 Division Hospital.
He further stated that a thorough inquiry into the issue and following corrective measures had begun.
On Thursday, the soldier left his base in the outlying Borno town of Damboa and started opening fire with an Ak47 rifle.
An international non-governmental organization’s humanitarian workers were forced to flee for their lives after learning of the situation while waiting at the military base to catch a helicopter back to Maiduguri.
Mr. Abdulkareem Ibrahim, a representative of one of the aid organisations, told NAN that the soldier unloaded his magazine before realising he was out of ammunition and pulling out a jack knife.
“He stabbed a female staff of one of the international NGOs four times, killing her before injuring the helicopter pilot,’’ Ibrahim said.
Ibrahim said, “The raging soldier turned again and followed his comrades before he was shot to death to avert additional catastrophe.”
The co-pilot who was injured was being stabilised at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, he added, adding that the pilots and crew had returned safely to Maiduguri.
