JALINGO: Soldiers mistake youth for bandits, shoot five dead

SOME men of the Nigeria Army reportedly went berserk last night killing five youth at Bassa village in Ardo-kola local area of the state.

The victims’ names are: Abdulkadir Bello, Tukur Bello,Philip Yakubu, Habu Yarima and Ya’u Misa, were said to be returning from a wedding ceremony in Garin-Baka around 12 midnight yesterday when the incident happened.

The men of the Nigerian Army have recently been targets of bandits who are on the rampage in the northern part of the country, particularly the Northwest.

Barely 24 hours before this incident about 10 soldiers and other security operatives were attacked and killed at the Joint Security Task Force, in the Shiroro Local Government of Niger State.

Against this background, the army on patrol in Taraba allegedly assumed the youth, who were also travelling in groups on motorcycle, were kidnappers and opened fire on them killing five instantly.

Narrating the incident, Isah Umar, who survived after escaping, said he and his friends ran into a group of soldiers.

Going further, Umar, a student of Taraba state university, said he  escaped into the bush but his friend Habu Yerima who conveyed him on his motorcycle was hit by a bullet, which eventually killed him.