Dei-Dei Shagari Quarters, Abuja, NIGERIA — The family of Abdulsamad Jamiu, a 24-year-old serving National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, has issued a scathing formal rebuttal against the Nigerian Army’s account of his death.
Jamiu was killed in the early hours of Saturday at his family residence in Abuja, an incident that has sparked nationwide outrage and calls for a thorough investigation into military conduct in residential areas.
The Headquarters Guards Brigade initially claimed that Jamiu was “caught in the crossfire” during a “fluid and highly volatile” gun battle between troops and fleeing armed robbers. However, the family, supported by physical evidence at the scene, categorically rejects this narrative.
Okay News reports that the family’s statement describes a targeted shooting where military personnel allegedly fired through a closed bedroom door, striking Jamiu in the head while he was protecting his younger siblings.
The family’s rebuttal highlights several critical contradictions in the military’s statement. According to witnesses and the victim’s sister, who was present during the attack, there was no “exchange of gunfire” with robbers at the house. Instead, they allege that three armed soldiers forced their way into the home at 2:00 a.m. and shot Jamiu through his door. Furthermore, the family claims that soldiers instructed local vigilantes to “mop up the blood and flush it,” a move they interpret as a deliberate attempt to compromise the crime scene.
The military’s spokesperson, Lieutenant Olawuyi Odunola, expressed the Brigade’s “deepest and most heartfelt condolences,” stating that a thorough investigation has been initiated to ascertain the full circumstances. This has done little to calm the public mood, as social media remains flooded with the hashtag #JusticeForAbdulsamad. Prominent figures and human rights advocates have joined the call for accountability, questioning why a “routine night patrol” resulted in the death of an innocent graduate just one month before his passing-out ceremony.
As Abdulsamad Jamiu was laid to rest following the release of his remains from Kubwa General Hospital, his mother and siblings continue to demand transparency. The family maintains that the soldiers at the scene initially admitted the killing was a “mistake” in the presence of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO). With the Guards Brigade promising to make its findings public, the nation watches closely to see if this incident will lead to genuine judicial consequences or be “swept under the rug,” as many fear.
