Ogun: Army says soldier died of accidental discharge, not suicide

The Nigerian Army 81 Division, on Wednesday, said that its operative, Boyi ThankGod, attached to 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta, Ogun State, died through accidental discharge rather than claims that he shot himself dead.

According to the Army, he died of negligence, having mishandled his firearm.

ThankGod was said to be on barracks standby duty at the 35 Brigade headquarters, Alamala, Abeokuta, on Monday during the Armed Forces Remembrance Day when he allegedly shot himself in the head and died immediately.

A source had told journalists that the soldier killed himself due to depression and low morale in the system, while his friends were also quoted to have said that the soldier had already shown a loss of interest in the Army job and complained of corruption in the military and low morale.

However, the Army, in a statement on Wednesday by the acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 81 Division of Nigeria Army, Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Ayeni, described the reports as insinuations and misrepresentations of the incident.

Read also: Probe spreads as EFCC grills AGF over N585m humanitarian ministry fraud

Ayeni also debunked reports circulating on various social media platforms that ThankGod7 terminated his life due to non-payment of Ration Cash Allowance.

The statement read in part: “The attention of Headquarters 81 Division Nigerian Army has been drawn to insinuations making the rounds on social media alleging that a soldier of 35 Artillery Brigade terminated his life due to nonpayment of Ration Cash Allowance.

“Having lost one of its soldiers, the authorities of the Division feel deeply concerned that some mischief makers under whatever guise would employ such a sad occurrence to malign the image of the Division and the NA in general.

“Nevertheless, for the sake of posterity, it needs to be mentioned that the late soldier was deployed at the Brigade Standby Force on Monday, January 15, 2024, alongside his colleagues for daily cantonment duty, and they were adequately fed in line with NA’s standard for troops’ on duties.

“However, the investigation into the immediate cause of the incident indicated that the deceased soldier reportedly handled his personal weapon negligently and misfired, which resulted in his death.

“His colleagues who heard the sound of a gunshot had rushed to the scene of the incident, only to find the soldier in the pool of his blood with gunshot wounds on the head.

“Further investigation has since commenced to unravel the circumstances and possible remote cause of the unfortunate incident, while the remains of the soldier have been evacuated and deposited at the Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta.

“The Division, through the Commander 35 Artillery Brigade, has informed the deceased family and also expressed heartfelt condolences and sympathy over the unfortunate incident.

“It is, however, pertinent to reiterate that the division is committed to providing the necessary welfare required to boost the morale of troops under command in line with the Chief of Army Staff Command Philosophy. Therefore, the division will not under any guise take the welfare of its troops lightly as wrongly insinuated.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now