Rinji Peter Bala, a 300-level student of the University of
Jos (UNIJOS) in Plateau, was allegedly shot dead on Tuesday by a soldier
attached to the special task force (STF), Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), in the
state, for “violating government’s lockdown order.”
Ubah Ogaba, spokesman of the state police command, confirmed
Bala’s arrest on Wednesday.
He also referred our reporter to the state’s STF spokesman
for further details.
“He was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF). That’s all
we know about the case. If you want to get further clarification, contact the
STF spokesman. Meanwhile, on our own part, we are doing an underground
investigation into the matter,” he said.
However, efforts to reach the STF spokesman on phone proved
abortive as of the time this report was filed.
But when contacted, Liberty Wilson, the secretary-general of
the institution’s students union government (SUG), said Bala was shot dead by
the soldier for flouting the government’s lockdown order.
He also contradicted the police spokesman’s account that the
deceased student was arrested by the STF before being allegedly killed.
“Yes, he’s our student. He is a student of the faculty of
arts. He was shot by a military personnel for violating the lockdown order
imposed by the state government. So far, that is the information available to
us,” he said.
“There was nothing like arrest in this case. He was simply
shot dead by a soldier this morning.”
The SUG secretary-general also called on the state
government to ensure justice is done, adding that this is the second time such
would happen to students of the institution.
“It is rather unfortunate, this is the second time we are
experiencing this. This is the second time a military personnel would kill our
student,” he said.
“And the truth is, we are conversant with the executive
order of the state government guiding lockdown in the state. There is no clause
in the law that if anyone violates lockdown, he should be killed.
“At the SUG level, we would try our best. We are calling on
the government to bring the soldiers to book as soon as possible because we are
tired of all this.
“The other time it happened, that was how the issue died
down. But to be frank, this one is not going to die down like the other. We are
calling on the government to do the needful as fast as they can.”
Bala, better known by friends as Bobo, was — until his death
— a student of history and international studies at UNIJOS.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com