Soldier fatally shoots an Okada man, a nursing mother, and a baby over N200

A soldier is said to have shot a commercial motorcycle driver and his passenger, a nursing mother and her infant, in the Babanna community of the Borgu LGA in the state of Niger.

According to information obtained by Daily Trust, the incident occurred on Monday evening as the victims were returning home from the Babanna weekly market.

Residents told City & Crime that the soldier fired a gunshot at the commercial motorcycle driver for refusing to pay the N200 bribe he demanded, and that the bullets entered the man’s stomach and struck the woman he was carrying, as well as the infant on her back.

Saidu Babanna, a local resident, stated, “One of the soldiers assigned to protect lives and property in Babanna shot three individuals for a bribe of N200.” When the victims entered Babanna in the morning, soldiers collected N200 from them at their checkpoint. Upon their return from Babanna to Nigangi in Benin Republic, soldiers demanded an additional N200 from them, which they were unable to pay. This prompted a soldier to open fire and kill the three motorcycle riders on the spot.”

Another resident who wished to remain anonymous stated, “The incident occurred on Monday evening. Mondays are Babanna market days. The victims were returning from the market to their homes. When they arrived at the Benin Republic border in the morning, numerous soldiers stopped them and demanded N200 from them. On their way back, the same soldiers stopped them and again demanded N200, which the Okada man refused to pay. The Okada man kicked his motorcycle and sped away, followed by a soldier who kicked another motorcycle and pursued him until he overtook him. Then, he fired the gun, and bullets pierced the motorcycle rider’s stomach and struck the woman he was carrying, instantly killing the woman and the baby.”

According to him, the soldier was apprehended and transported to the 221 Battalion in Kainji, New-Bussa, Borgu LGA, after the district chief contacted military authorities.

According to him, the woman and her infant died at the scene, while the Okada man was receiving treatment in a hospital in Benin Republic.

According to another source, the arrest of the soldier and the district administrator’s intervention prevented the situation from degenerating into a brawl between youths and soldiers.

DSP Wasiu Abiodun, the spokesman for the Niger State Police Command, could not be reached for comment.

However, the chairman of Borgu LGA of Niger State, Alhaji Suleiman Yarima, confirmed the incident, stating that the woman and her child perished, while the motorcyclist survived and is being treated in a hospital in Parakou, Benin Republic.

“The victims are from Benin Republic and were shopping at the Babanna market. There is a weekly market. The bodies were transported to the Benin Republic, but their burial has not yet been confirmed. However, the investigation is ongoing,” he told our reporter in a text message sent late yesterday.

(TNT)