What may have resulted in a messy situation was averted by sheer chance on Wednesday after bullets shot at the spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Professor Ango Abdullahi, narrowly missed him.
Abdullahi who was on his way to a meeting in Tirwun Village in Bauchi Local Government Area of Bauchi State along Bauchi-Maiduguri road was fired at by soldiers of the Nigerian Army.
Describing his ordeal, Abdullahi who also doubles as the Chairman of the Governing Council of Bauchi State University Gadau, said not less than eight bullets were fired at his car by the soldiers.
Abdullahi narrated: “We were going to have a meeting in the State University Gadau.
“After we passed Awalah round on our way to Gadau we reached Tirwun Village, we saw a convoy of some soldiers. They were driving slowly. Our driver manoeuvred and overtook them.
“We just heard sounds of gunshots, seven, eight bullets hits our car and demobilised our vehicles. We managed to stop, but we thank Allah the bullets didn’t hit anyone of us inside the vehicle.”
The NEF spokesman added that the soldiers then came out of their vehicles, barking that his vehicle should not have overtaken them because they were escorting sensitive materials.
“I have never seen a reckless action like this in my life,” Abdullahi added.
He said he informed the State Commissioner of Higher Education Alhaji Ibrahim Aminu Mohammed who reached out to other Security agencies and the army.
However, the NEF spokesman said the Army has sent a captain to visit and apologise to him.
“The captain promised that the Brigade commander will make a report to army Headquarters in order to know the unit where the soldiers came from because they didn’t inform them that they will pass through Bauchi,” Abdullahi said.
The bullets damaged the engine of the vehicle and destroyed the radiator, one of Abdullahi’s aides reported.
Reacting to the incident, the State Commissioner of Higher of Education, Ibrahim Aminu Mohammed commended the swift response of the the state Director of the Department of State Security T(DSS), Brigade Commander and the State Commissioner of Police who visited the scene immediately after they were informed.
“The Brigade Commander has ordered for the arrest of the soldiers, and he had informed the Defence Headquarters immediately,” Mohammed said.
