Amnesty International has urged Nigerian authorities to probe the alleged reckless use of firearms by military personnel that resulted in the death of a 14-year-old girl in Maiduguri.
In a statement released on Sunday, the organisation said the secondary school student died on Saturday, April 4, after a stray bullet struck her inside her home.
It noted that the bullet was reportedly fired by military personnel during celebratory gunfire at a nearby wedding event centre.
According to a family friend, the teenager had been getting ready to attend the wedding when the incident happened.
She lived with her family in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital quarters and was indoors at the time.
“She had just finished applying henna for her mother and herself, joyfully preparing for a family wedding scheduled for that same day,” the source said.
Amnesty International described the incident as preventable and called for accountability.
It added that the victim was buried on Sunday at the Maiduguri graveyard, with her family and friends “left seeking answers for a death that was entirely preventable.”
The organisation demanded a “transparent, impartial and effective investigation” to ensure justice and protect lives.
Reacting, Michael Onoja, director of defence media operations, said he could not comment due to lack of details.
“I don’t have any details of it yet. Can’t comment yet,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nahum Daso was unreachable as calls and messages to his phone were not answered at the time of filing the report.