Youths in Gashua community, Yobe State, have protested the killing of a driver identified as Mohammed Musa, allegedly by military personnel.
It is gathered that the incident occurred on Saturday at one of the filling stations in Garin Alkali community via Gashua, the headquarters of Bade Local Government Area of the state.
When contacted, officials from Damaturu’s Sector 2, Operation Hadin Kai, stated they had yet to receive a report on the incident.
Lieutenant Kennedy Anyanwu, the sector command’s spokesman, pledged to contact the media as soon as the case was reported.
Sources in the town told Channels Television that the military soldiers were on patrol when the incident occurred.
They allegedly arrived at the gas station to enforce the prohibition on the sale of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as gasoline, in jerrycans.
The sudden presence of the military sparked terror among the people at the facility, according to Adamu Hassan, who observed the incident.
“The military personnel drove into the station on motorcycles and other military vehicles with their heads covered, which caused panic,” Hassan narrated. “But they asked the people to calm down. A scared driver who attempted to escape was shot dead on the spot.”
Another source, who pleaded anonymity, said, “The military (operatives) were patrolling filling stations that are selling the prohibited Premium Motor Spirit in jerry cans.
“On sighting the military, all the people in the station were trying to escape which led to the shooting of the said driver.”
As soon as the man was killed, irate youths took to the streets in protest of the shooting, wielding sticks and chanting various solidarity songs to demand justice.
One of the chants in their local language, “Bamu yar da ba,” is translated as “we will not agree to the killing of our driver by the military.”
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
