A soldier serving at 26 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Corporal James Kingsley, on Monday went berserk, gunning down an officer and injuring a soldier in sight.
The incident took place at about 6pm Monday at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) location of the 26 Battalion attached to Team 3 under Operation Hadarin Daji, Sokoto.
In the process, Corporal Kingsley gunned down Second Lieutenant OC Ukachukwu. He also fired on a soldier.
Other soldiers gunned him down before he could harm other colleagues.
Second Lieutenant Ukachukwu and the injured soldier were later rushed to Maigami General Hospital, Sokoto State where the officer was confirmed dead while the soldier is receiving treatment.
According to a source: “The incident took place at about 6pm. The soldier, Corporal James Kingsley (Service Number 03NA/53/1572), who was serving at the 26 Battalion attached to Team 3 under Operation Hadarin Daji, fired an officer, 2/Lt OC Ukachukwu (service Number N/19548) at Tango 2, Forward Operating Base (FOB) Magami.
“The soldier went on firing everyone on sight and he was later gunned down by fellow soldiers present at the location. Both the late officer and soldier were rushed to Maigami General Hospital where the officer was confirmed dead.”
The shooting incident again brings to the fore the issue of the state of mental health of Nigerian soldiers, especially those serving in the frontline in the war against terrorists and bandits in North East, North West and North Central region of Nigeria who have to endure long periods of deployment.
In March 2023, a soldier, Private Diko, fighting Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East opened fire on a colleague, killing him. The deceased soldier, a Private, joined the Army in 2000. Both the shooter and victim were serving Operation Desert Sanity in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno state.
Also in 2023, another soldier, Lance Corporal Nwobodo Chinoso, shot dead the Commander of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Rabah in Sokoto State, Lieutenant Sam Oladapo.
Chinoso also shot the FOB Rabah Command Sergeant Major (CSM), Sgt. Iliyasu Inusa, and another private soldier, Attahiru Mohammed, after killing Oladapo.
He then turned his gun on himself, committing suicide.