The soldier who shot dead a custom officer at the Oloko checkpoint, Gbaji on Badagry-Seme expressway on Wednesday, June 2 has committed suicide by shooting himself.
According to reports, the soldier identified as LCP Mahmud Sulaiman, attached to 243 Recce Battalion Ibereko, Badagry, accidentally shot the Customs officer when his own team leader tried to retrieve a gun from him after he noticed Sulaiman was acting strange.
“In the process of retrieving the cocked weapon from him, which he resisted, he accidentally fired a shot and the stray bullet hit one Inspector of Custom, C.N Walter. The customs officer, who was attached to Seme Border Area Command, was rushed to Badagry General Hospital for treatment.
But unfortunately, the customs officer died at about 6:40 a.m. on Thursday in the hospital. Subsequently, Sulaiman also shot himself and died on the spot,” an eyewitness said.
Sulaiman, who was recently redeployed to the Ibereko Battalion from the Theater of Operation in the North-East, had been behaving abnormally since assumption of duty in Badagry.
“He always cock his AK 47 rifle fully loaded with ammunition, an action that made his Team Leader to report the matter to the Commanding Officer of 243 Recce Battalion, Col. Nicholas Rume, where he was serving.
“The commanding officer immediately ordered for the retrieval of the weapon from him” an officer said
While confirming the incident, the Customs Public Relations Officer in Seme border, Abdulahi Hussiain, said the situation has been brought under control.
