Army Corporal shoots, kill superior officer at checkpoint in Adamawa

• Police officer describes Nkiru’s hostile behavior despite valid identity card for essential work during curfew
• Medical doctor recounts being halted by Nkiru for curfew violation while heading to hospital
  

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Corporal Nkiru of the Nigerian Army is said to have reportedly shot and killed her superior officer, Lieutenant Bitrus Zira.

According to accounts, the female Army Corporal fatally shot Lieutenant Zira at a checkpoint situated near Fire Service Roundabout along Galadima Aminu Way in Yola, the capital of Adamawa State.

While en route to work, a female police officer, a medical doctor, and a journalist shared their unsettling encounters with Nkiru.

Speaking to journalists, the police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “She actually surprised me by her extremely hostile looks when I arrived at the checkpoint on my way to work.

“Despite flashing my police identity card, with an explanation that I was going to work, she yelled, ordering me to pull over because I had run into the curfew time.

“When I tried to explain that the terms of the curfew exclude all persons on essential duty with a valid identity card, she got provoked and threatened to shoot me. Thankfully, her senior colleague beckoned to me to proceed.”

A medical doctor at the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital also narrated, “I was on my to the hospital when she stopped me insisting that it was curfew time and that nobody was allowed to move around.”

Similarly, a journalist who was monitoring public compliance during the curfew said, “She looked weird all of the times I drove by. In fact, I probably may have been her victim, except for my air force officer friend who was with me at a point.”

Lieutenant Zira, whom Nkiru fatally shot after discharging multiple rounds, had disembarked from a vehicle’s passenger seat to identify himself and possibly address her for tarnishing the military’s image with her erratic behavior.

Upon seeking clarification, Brigadier General Gambo Mohammed, the brigade commander of 23 brigade Yola, denied any fatality, asserting, “It was an accidental discharge.”

When queried about Lieutenant Zira’s whereabouts, he briefly commented, “I cannot elaborate further on this matter. I suggest you contact General Nwachukwu at Army headquarters.”

However, attempts to contact Gen. Nwachukwu remained unanswered at the time.