Navy officer arrested after opening fire on colleague in Katsina

A naval officer shot a colleague dead in Katsina. 

The incident occurred on Friday.

In a statement, Edward Buba, director of defence media operations, said the officer “opened fire sporadically and killed a colleague”.

Buba added that the officer, identified as Leading Seaman Akila A, “has been arrested, disarmed and detained, and investigation into the incident has commenced”.

The Defence Headquarters said the naval officer committed the act in “questionable circumstances”.

After investigation, the case will be escalated to a standing court martial usually set up to address misdemeanour among troops, Buba said.

“Meanwhile, the administrative procedure for notifying the family of the deceased is ongoing,” the spokesperson said.

“Accordingly, we urge the media to exercise caution in reporting in order not to further demoralise the family of the deceased.”