Maiduguri, NIGERIA – Global human rights organization Amnesty International has called on Nigerian authorities to urgently investigate the reckless use of firearms by military personnel following the tragic death of a 14-year-old girl in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Okay News learnt that the secondary school student was killed on Saturday, April 4, after being struck by a stray bullet while inside her home at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) quarters. Okay News gathered that the fatal shot was reportedly fired by soldiers who were engaging in celebratory gunfire during a wedding ceremony at a nearby event center.
According to a family friend, the young girl was joyfully preparing for a different family wedding scheduled for that same day. She had reportedly just finished applying henna for herself and her mother when the preventable tragedy occurred.
Her funeral was held on Sunday morning at a Maiduguri graveyard, leaving her grieving family and friends demanding answers. In a statement addressing the incident, Amnesty International condemned the reckless use of firearms and called for a “transparent, impartial and effective investigation of the incident to safeguard lives and ensure justice.”
