Army probes officer over alleged killing of Enugu varsity student
From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
THE Nigerian Army, 82 Division, Enugu has begun investigations into the alleged killing on Sunday morning of a second-year Chemical Engineering student of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Mr. Emmanuel Otiede Othuke, by a soldier.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) the 82 Division, Maj.-Gen. Abdulazze Adeyemi, who disclosed this on Monday after a visit to the scene of the incident, condemned the killing, assuring that the Division would investigate the matter thoroughly.
Violent demonstrations had rocked the Artisan Quarters on Monday when a soldier identified as private, killed the Delta-born student who allegedly was washing his mouth after returning from a church service behind his house.
The incident took place less than two weeks after a police man allegedly killed a 14-year-old pupil, Chibuzo Egesimba, also at the Artisan Quarters.
The soldier, who was on duty at the market, according to an eyewitness, had approached the deceased and his relation behind their residence at Block 11 of the Artisan Quarters where the deceased was brushing his teeth. In a pretext to conduct a search on the student, the soldier pushed him down with the butt of his gun and immediately shot him twice.
A relation of the deceased, Mr. Anthony Agofure, who narrated the incident to The Guardian on Monday, said he and the late Othuke returned from the church by 9.00 a.m., when the deceased decided to brush his teeth having failed to do so before leaving for the early morning mass.
"He took a cup of water and toothpaste and went to the backyard but suddenly, the soldier emerged from nowhere and demanded to know what he was doing there. He told him that he was in his premises and identified himself as a student living there. Annoyed by his response, the soldier pushed him down with the butt of his gun and immediately shot at him twice", he said.
Agofure, who conducted reporters round the scene of the incident which was littered with blood, aluminium cup, a pair of black shoes and Close-Up toothpaste, said Emmanuel was rushed to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu where he died about 10 minutes after arrival.
The situation did not go down well with students and other residents at the Artisan Quarters who immediately took to the streets protesting the killing.
They tried to attack the soldiers but he immediately ran to the barracks along Abakaliki Road, where the protesters later took their protest to.
On arrival at the barracks, Adeyemi addressed them and condemned the killing and promised to investigate the matter.
He later visited the scene of the incident where he assured residents and traders that everything possible would be done to ensure their safety just as he said that the soldier, if found guilty, would be severely dealt with.
"We have to investigate the matter thoroughly and if the soldier is found guilty, he will be dealt with ruthlessly", he said.
Meanwhile, officers deployed to forestall crisis took charge and people went about their normal businesses.
Residents of the Artisan Quarters have appealed to the state governor, Chimaroke Nnamani, to order the withdrawal soldiers from the market, saying they have done more harm than good.
The state government had recently drafted soldiers and mobile policemen to the Artisan Market to make peace during a recent clash involving some suspected Igbo and Hausa traders.
Mr. Augustine Dike, who spoke on behalf of the protesting residents of the area, said they now live in fear, adding that the soldiers may have outlived their usefulness since they have now turned against the people they were meant to protect.
"Two weeks ago, they killed an innocent student, the other day, they raped two female students and now, they have shot another. What kind of protection are they offering?", he queried.
