Army Denies Killing Students

The Nigerian Army Headquarters yesterday denied killing four Nasarawa State University students during Tuesday’s protest, suggesting that the police may have been responsible for the live bullets used to kill the students. At its routine monthly press briefing in Abuja, the Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR)

, Brigadier General Ibrahim Attahiru, speaking in defence of the soldiers from 177 Guards Battalion, who were involved in the operations, claimed that they did not use live ammunition throughout the exercise.

The army had been repeatedly accused of killing the students but General Attahiru, while fielding questions from journalists, said, “we don’t use live rounds in such situation. Since we did not use live rounds, I will not be drawn into answering such question. I will in no way belabour the matter. I will tell you categorically that our troops were not involved in shooting.”

Stressing that the police had the duty to cover the country in such situations, which they did, the DAPR said the soldiers who intervened in the crisis were just on patrol along the Keffi-Akwanga Expressway, which was part of the 177 Guards Battalion patrol routes, before the incident broke out and they waded in to restore law and order. Giving reasons for the army’s intervention, Attahiru said, “this road was blocked with logs of wood and burning tyres, which hampered vehicular movement, leaving travellers stranded for hours and many vehicles damaged by the violent crowd.

It was also reported that the irate crowd were looting travellers’ belongings and throwing stones, bottles and metal objects at the security operatives at the scene of the incident.” However, it was believed that some hoodlums and cult members, who were students of the university, hijacked the protest. “As a result, the violent crowd burnt down two vehicles at the police station located across the campus and seized a loaded tanker with the intention of burning down the whole station. The combined efforts of 177 Guards Battalion troops with other security operatives prevented the hoodlums from this act,” he said.

He further said the violent actions of the crowd led to three soldiers sustaining injuries from the stones, bottles and metals thrown at them. Stating that law and order had since been restored in the area, the army said own troops were closely monitoring the security situation of the area. Meanwhile, authorities of the institution have denied inviting soldiers to the school to intervene in the situation.
     THE SUN

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