The father of Abdulsamad Jamiu, Sani Jimoh, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member killed by operatives of the Guards Brigade Quick Response Force in Dei-Dei, Shagari Estate, Abuja, says soldiers told him his son’s death was accidental.
In an earlier statement, the guards brigade headquarters said Jamiu died after being caught in a crossfire on April 25 when troops responded to a distress call over a suspected armed robbery attack.
“Upon arrival, the troops came under gunfire from the fleeing armed robbers, resulting in a brief but intense exchange,” the statement reads.
On Monday, a delegation of the Nigerian Army visited the family to offer condolences and assess the scene.
However, the family has rejected the military’s version of events, insisting that “physical evidence disproves an exchange of gunfire.” They maintained that Jamiu was shot around 2am when soldiers entered the estate.
Speaking with TheCable on Monday during a visit to the family home, Jimoh said he and his wife were in Kogi state for his mother’s burial when they received a distress call from their daughter about the incident.
He said soldiers explained that they were chasing a suspect and noticed signs of forced entry into the compound, prompting them to enter the house.
“They said that they were pursuing a thief, but they couldn’t see the thief, so they went through the back and saw that the barbed wire was altered, and they thought someone had jumped through it inside my compound,” he said.
Jimoh added that he questioned how the situation led to a fatal shooting, but the soldiers maintained it was an error.
“They said that Oga calm down and it was a mistake,” he said.
The deceased’s sister, Jamiu Farida, who witnessed the incident, said she was woken by gunshots and later dragged outside by soldiers.
“I pleaded with them that if I get down, they should not harm me,” she said.
She recounted being shown a damaged window and barbed wire before discovering her brother had been killed.
“I thought they wanted to tell me that my brother escaped… and I discovered that my brother was dead,” she said, adding that a soldier warned her to “shut up.”
Their mother, Abubakar Habiba, also insisted her son was shot after responding to loud banging on his door.
“They shot the door twice,” she said, alleging that vigilantes were later asked to clean up the blood.
A friend of the deceased, Yusuf Enesi, described him as peaceful and said there had been no prior violence in the area before the incident.