Nigerian soldier commits ‘suicide’ in Ogun barracks

A soldier of the Nigerian Army has reportedly killed himself in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Identified as Boyi Thankgod, the soldier was attached to the 35 Artillery brigade, Alamala in Abeokuta, the state capital.

According to a report by Daily Trust the army personnel shot himself in the head at the standby duty on Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

A gory image showed his lifeless body laid in the pool of his blood after his head had severed due to the impact of the bullet.

“Yes, it’s true. The incident happened yesterday (Monday),” a source at the barracks confirmed.

The source said an investigation is ongoing to reveal the circumstances that led to his action.

“The incident truly happened. Since yesterday, the military police have been investigating… all soldiers that were there when the incident happened, they were taken to the custody, took their statements and all the normal procedures.”

“We are just waiting for the military police officers to conclude the investigation in order to determine what actually led to the incident,” a source said.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of the 81 Division, Nigerian Army, supervising the brigade, Lt.-Col. Olabisi Ayeni stated on Wednesday that the soldier died from an accidental gunshot to his head.

Ayeni stated that upon hearing the accidental gunshot, the deceased’s colleagues rushed to the scene and found him in a pool of his own blood.

“Investigation has since started to unravel the circumstances and possible remote cause of the unfortunate incident.

“The remains of the soldier have been evacuated and deposited at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta,’’ Ayeni stated.

He urged members of the public to disregard insinuations making the rounds in the social media that the soldier terminated his life because of non-payment of Ration Cash Allowance.

“The late soldier was deployed to the Brigade Standby Force on Jan.15, alongside his colleagues and they were adequately fed in line with the Nigerian Army’s standard for troops on duty.

“The division feels deeply concerned that some mischief makers will employ such sad occurrence to malign the image of the Nigerian Army,’’ Ayeni stressed.

He added that the division, through the Commander, 35 Artillery Brigade, had informed the deceased’s family and also expressed heartfelt condolences and sympathy over the unfortunate incident.

“It is pertinent to reiterate that the division is committed to providing necessary welfare required to boost the morale of troops.

“Therefore, the division will not under any guise take the welfare of its troops lightly as being wrongly insinuated,’’ Ayeni also stated.