Outrage grows after a soldier killed a 13-year-old boy on New Year’s Day in Akwa Ibom, as family and advocates demand accountability

A 13-year-old schoolboy, Master Timothy Daniel Monday, was fatally shot on New Year’s Day by a soldier attached to a private oil facility in Akwa Ibom State, sparking public outrage and renewed calls for accountability within Nigeria’s security forces.

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Master Timothy Daniel Monday, a Junior Secondary School student at Bensona International School on King Jaja Street, Borokiri, Port Harcourt, was killed on Thursday, 1 January 2026, during an encounter involving soldiers deployed to protect Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited, commonly known as Sterling Global.

According to an eyewitness account provided by the victim’s sister, Miss Miracle Daniel Monday, the family had attended a crossover church service at Mount Zion Church in Ette, Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, when the incident occurred.

Miss Monday told journalists that she and her siblings stepped outside the church premises during the service and were confronted by soldiers stationed in the area.

An argument reportedly followed, during which one soldier pushed her to the ground and slapped her and another sibling.

A second soldier later intervened, apologised and asked the children to leave.

Moments later, gunshots were heard.

The family later discovered that Master Timothy had been shot and killed.

The case has been reported to the Nigerian Army’s 6 Battalion at Wellington Basi Barracks in Ibagwa, Abak Local Government Area, as well as to the Nigeria Police Force.

As of Tuesday, no official statement had been issued by the Army regarding the identity of the soldier involved or whether disciplinary proceedings had commenced.

Family members and civil society advocates have criticised what they describe as the silence of Sterling Global, alleging that the company has neither contacted nor visited the family since the incident.

A Lagos-based rights advocate who has been supporting the family has called on the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Army Staff, the General Officer Commanding of the 6 Battalion, and the Akwa Ibom State Government to intervene urgently, ensure that the soldier responsible is court-martialled for murder, and that the family receives appropriate compensation.

Legal experts note that Section 33 of Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees the right to life and that any unlawful deprivation of life constitutes a serious criminal offence, regardless of the perpetrator’s official status.

The killing has intensified concerns over the conduct of armed personnel attached to private commercial operations and has reignited national debate about civilian protection, accountability and the use of lethal force.