The Nigerian Army has ordered the probe of the incident that led to the alleged killings of villagers and some livestock after the misunderstanding by residents and soldiers in Birni, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The development was confirmed by the army spokesperson Onyema Nwachukwu on Thursday in a statement released from the headquarters.
The Nigerian Army has described the incident as disturbing and consoled the families who had lost loved ones in the incident, which happened on Saturday. The Army stated that the Army would investigate the incident to sanction the found wanting within the case.
The incident was reported on Sunday. It was revealed that the villagers had accused the soldiers of killing three individuals from the community and over 100 cows in the clash, which happened at the cattle market on Sunday afternoon.
An eyewitness who spoke about the incident noted that the soldiers had opened fire on the battles, which led to the death of the last three persons; the eyewitness stated that the traders had fled for safety when the incident started.
The army spokesperson explained that it was important to initiate the probe because the country’s constitution had mandated the army to protect the lives and properties of Nigerians, and acting otherwise would not be tolerated by the army.
The spokesperson further encouraged the residents to remain calm as the army was currently under investigation and is currently being handled by the army team.
The army spokesman, who appealed for calm among the area’s residents, promised that the investigation report would be made public as soon as possible. He further disclosed that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja has directed a concrete investigation into the case to bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible.
