A Nigerian soldier fighting Boko Haram in the Northeast committed suicide, on Thursday, September 17, 2020, after he was publicly punished by his superior for allegedly stealing a phone.
The Street Journal had earlier reported that the soldier, identified as Lance Corporal Victor Ojeamiran, attached to the Nigerian Army 27 Task Force Brigade in Buni Gari, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, committed suicide, leaving a note for his wife.
Some source exclusively told Premium Times that Mr Ojeamiran shot himself after he personally submitted a note to his platoon sergeant to deliver to his superior officer in the Task Force.
Premium Times reports that the note was a protest note where the soldier tried to defend himself and prove his innocence.
(Graphic Photos) Nigerian Soldier Commits Suicide After Leaving a Note to His Wife
Buni Gari is said to be about 7 km from the headquarters of the 27 Task Force Brigade in Buni Yadi, the town that also accommodates the Nigerian Army Special Forces School in Gujba Local Government.
The sources noted that LC Ojeamiran went to Damaturu, the Yobe State capital and bought a used phone, which unknown to him was stolen from a senior army officer in Damaturu.
The officer tracked the phone and found it with the soldier while he was about to return to his formation in Buni Gari, after he bought the phone.
The officer allegedly punished the soldier in public, while residents of the area shot videos of the punishment and later posted it on some social media platforms.
The sources added that Mr Ojeamiran could not bear the disgrace of the video of him being publicly punished for a ‘false accusation’ and he did not have a chance to defend himself before the punishment.
He told the other soldiers that he does not know what to tell his wife and children about the video, and how he was disgraced in the eyes of the world for a crime he did not commit, hence, he decided to take his life after he returned to the base by shooting himself on the head.
When contacted, the army spokesperson, Sagir Musa, said he is yet to be briefed on the development and he is not in Yobe at present.
Meanwhile, the army has released an internal memo which stated that an “investigation has commenced on the circumstances that led to the incident.”
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