By Peterside Rejoice Eneky
A senior Naval officer undergoing training at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, was stabbed to death by a suspected phone thief on Saturday in Kaduna.
The incident occurred near the pedestrian bridge at Kawo, in Kaduna North Local Government Area, while the officer was reportedly fixing a flat tyre.
Military sources confirmed that the officer, a senior course participant at AFCSC, had stopped briefly at a bus stop on his way back to Jaji when he was accosted by an unidentified man who demanded his mobile phone. When he resisted, the attacker stabbed him in the chest using a locally fabricated knife.
Witnesses at the scene said the officer collapsed after the attack and was quickly transported to a nearby hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival. His remains have since been deposited at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital mortuary, Kaduna.
In a dramatic turn of events, a local vigilante who attempted to intervene was also stabbed, sustaining injuries to his hand. The suspect, however, was subdued and lynched by an angry mob that gathered at the scene.
“The thief was overpowered by the people and killed instantly,” an eyewitness said.
The tragic death of the officer has sent shockwaves through the military and local community, prompting swift action from military authorities, who have launched an investigation to determine the full circumstances surrounding the attack.
As of press time, the Kaduna State Police Command had not issued an official statement.
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