Amnesty International has urged Nigerian authorities to probe the death of a 14-year-old girl in Maiduguri, Borno State.
In a statement on Sunday, the rights group disclosed that the secondary school student died on Saturday, April 4, after being struck by a stray bullet while inside her home.
Amnesty International said the bullet was allegedly fired by military personnel involved in celebratory gunfire during a wedding event at a nearby venue.
A family acquaintance of the victim revealed that the teenager had been preparing to attend the wedding when the incident happened.
“She lived in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) quarters with her family and was inside her home when the tragedy occurred,” the source said.
“She had just finished applying henna for her mother and herself, joyfully preparing for a family wedding scheduled for that same day.”
The organisation described the incident as avoidable and called on authorities to ensure those responsible are held accountable.
Amnesty International added that the victim was laid to rest on Sunday at the Maiduguri cemetery, noting that her loved ones are “left seeking answers for a death that was entirely preventable.”
The group demanded a “transparent, impartial and effective investigation” into the matter to protect lives and deliver justice.
When contacted, Michael Onoja, director of defence media operations, said he could not comment on the incident.
“I don’t have any details of it yet. Can’t comment yet,” Onoja said.
Nahum Daso, police spokesperson in Borno, could not be reached, as calls and messages to his phone were unanswered at the time of filing this report.