PLATEAU COMMUNITY ACCUSES SOLDIERS OF KILLING TWO DISPLACED YOUTHS, FIRING INTO CIVILIAN HOMES AS RESIDENTS FLEE DAMAGED HOUSES

Residents of a community in Plateau State have accused personnel of the Nigerian Army of killing two young men who had been displaced from their homes and opening fire on residential buildings during a military operation in the area.

The allegations were contained in a video obtained by ChroniclesReporters, in which a man who said he was familiar with the incident took reporters around the affected community, pointing out alleged bullet holes in buildings, damaged doors and windows, bloodstains and locations where the two men were allegedly killed.

The residents alleged that the operation left two men, identified as Obida Alfred and Bakar Musa, dead, while several homes were damaged by gunfire and residents were forced to flee their houses over fears for their safety.

The man alleged that military vehicles entered the community during the operation, with one gun truck reportedly becoming stuck in a farm.

He further claimed that another armoured vehicle became stuck in a different location and that two tractors had to be brought in to pull it out.

“This is a farm that people suffer to farm. This is where the first gun truck got stuck. You can see the tyre mark where it went down,” he said.

“This is exactly where the second armoured vehicle got stuck. They had to bring two tractors to remove it.”

The allegations raised questions about the purpose of the military operation and why heavily armed military vehicles were allegedly operating around areas where civilians were living and farming.

According to the man, soldiers subsequently fired several rounds towards residential buildings, allegedly putting civilians inside the houses at risk.

He took the reporter to one of the affected buildings and pointed out several holes in the walls, which he attributed to gunfire from the military operation.

“You can see the holes. One, two, three, four. From where the gun truck stopped, they were shooting towards the houses,” he said.

“If someone who is not a terrorist was inside the house, they could have been shot.”

The man also pointed out damaged windows and doors, alleging that residents had abandoned their homes because they no longer considered the area safe.

“Someone suffered to build this house, but look at what has happened to it. Even inside the house, it is no longer safe,” he said.

“Now they have abandoned the house. They are fleeing because of fear. Can you imagine that after this, someone would still come and stay inside?”

He also alleged that a nursing mother who had given birth about two or three months before the incident was inside one of the houses when the shooting occurred.

“She was an innocent mother. She had just given birth not more than two or three months ago. She was here when the shooting happened. It was God that saved her,” he said.

The man further alleged that the military operation resulted in the deaths of two displaced young men.

He identified the first victim as Obida Alfred, alleging that Alfred was killed inside a room after soldiers fired several rounds into the building.

“He was killed right here, inside the room,” he said while pointing to the alleged location.

“You can see the bullet marks. They shot him with more than four bullets.”

The second victim was identified as Bakar Musa, whom the man alleged was initially left critically injured after being shot.

According to the account, Musa survived the initial shooting and attempted to escape by crawling away from the area.

“You can see his blood. He was crawling to this point,” the man said while pointing to the ground.

“He kept crawling in order to escape, but he saw there was no safe haven. When he got to this point, he had to turn back because there was nowhere safe for him to go.”

The man alleged that an individual attempted to help Musa by tying his injured leg, but claimed that the injured man continued crawling before soldiers allegedly surrounded him.

“This is where they came and surrounded him and made sure he died at this spot,” he alleged.

“This is where his body was laid. They made sure no one came to his rescue until he died.”

He identified the location as the spot where Musa allegedly died, reiterating that Alfred was killed inside a room while Musa died outside.

“This is the spot of the second victim, Bakar Musa, killed by the soldiers,” he said.

The man also alleged that the arrival of police officers prevented the situation from escalating further and stopped the soldiers from taking additional action against residents.

According to him, the police arrived after receiving information about the incident and sounded their siren while warning residents to take cover.

“When the police came to this point, they blew their siren and said, ‘Police are coming. Police are coming. Take cover,’” he said.

He alleged that the soldiers subsequently moved back towards the location where the second armoured vehicle had reportedly become stuck.

“They ran back to that site, where the second armoured vehicle I showed you had got stuck. That was where they gathered and tried to remove it,” he said.

The man further alleged that both victims had previously been displaced from their original communities before the incident occurred.

The circumstances surrounding the reported deaths, however, remain unclear. It was not immediately established what prompted the military operation, which Nigerian Army unit was involved, or whether the two men were suspected of being members of any criminal or militant group.

The allegations have not been independently verified, and there was no immediate response from the Nigerian Army addressing the claims of extrajudicial killings, civilian casualties or gunfire directed at residential buildings.

The reported incident comes amid continuing security challenges in parts of Plateau State, where communities have faced displacement, attacks and tensions involving civilians and security forces.

Residents are now calling for the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Alfred and Musa, the alleged shooting of civilians and the damage to residential properties to be properly investigated.