On Monday, a soldier, identified as Boyi Thankgod, attached to the 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta, shot himself dead.
The incident happened on the day, the country celebrated Armed Forces Remembrance Day.
It was learnt that the soldier shot himself in the head while on standby duty within the barracks.
A source confirmed the incident to our correspondent while a gory image which has gone viral on social media showed his lifeless body lying in the pool of his blood after his head had severed due to the impact of the bullet.
“Yes, it’s true. The incident happened yesterday (Monday),” a source at the barracks told our correspondent.
The source said an investigation is ongoing to reveal the circumstances that led to his action.
“The incident truly happened. Since yesterday, the military police have been investigating… all soldiers that were there when the incident happened, they were taken into custody, and their statements and all the normal procedures.
“We are just waiting for the military police officers to conclude the investigation in order to determine what actually led to the incident,” the source added further.
The Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 81 Division NA, Lt.Colonel Olabisi Ayeni, in a statement, confirmed the incident.
He, however, denied that the soldier terminated his life due to non-payment of Ration Cash Allowance (RCA), as being speculated in some sections of the media.
The statement reads, “Having lost one of its soldiers, the authorities of the Division feel deeply concerned that some mischief makers under whatever guise would employ such sad occurrence to malign the image of the Division and the NA in general.
“Nevertheless, for the sake of posterity, it needs to be mentioned that the late soldier was deployed at the Brigade Standby Force on Monday 15 January 24 alongside his colleagues for daily cantonment duty and they were adequately fed in line with NA’s standard for troops’ on duties.
“However, investigation into the immediate cause of the incident, indicated that the deceased soldier reportedly handled his personal weapon negligently and misfired, which resulted in his death. His colleagues who heard the sound of a gunshot rushed to the scene of the incident, only to find the soldier in the pool of his blood with gunshot wounds on the head.
“Further investigation has since commenced to unravel the circumstances and possible remote cause of the unfortunate incident, while the remains of the soldier have been evacuated and deposited at the Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta.
“The Division, through the Commander 35 Artillery Brigade, has informed the deceased family and also expressed heartfelt condolences and sympathy over the unfortunate incident.
“It is, however, pertinent to reiterate that the Division is committed to providing the necessary welfare required to boost the morale of troops under command in line with the Chief of Army Staff Command Philosophy. Therefore, the division will not under any guise take the welfare of its troops lightly as wrongly insinuated.”
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