Residents of Yola lament indiscriminate shootings by soldiers

From Mahmud Jika, Yola

As Nigerians celebrate its 54th Independent Anniversary, residents of Yola, the Adamawa state capital lamented the growing indiscriminate shooting by soldiers resulting into casualties on the side of innocent civilians.

The residents, who complained bitterly over the latest shooting on Independence Day, said the incident had led to stray bullet hitting a nine year-old girl, Maryam Mohammed, who was receiving lessons among other pupils at a Quranic school in Shinco ward.

Maryam’s senior brother, Ibrahim, who narrated the incident, said the soldiers, who were moving along the Yola-Gombi road around 9 am were shooting into the air shouting war songs as usual, when a bullet hit Maryam on her left leg.

“I rushed her to the Specialist Hospital, where it was confirmed that the bullet passed through her thigh”, Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim said Maryam’s wound had dressed and she was now at home responding to treatment.

“We have forwarded our complaint to the ward head, Malam Aminu, who personally came to see her condition and promised to forward the matter to the authorities”, Ibrahim said.

Maryam incident was the second of such indiscriminate shooting by the soldiers going sour.

Only recently, such shooting in front of Federal College of Education, Yola resulted into about 20 students sustaining injuries, as they scampered for safety thinking it was an attack by insurgents on the school.