By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
A young, promising Nigerian soldier was, on Thursday, killed along others in a shootout with terrorists in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) two days after his mother, a widow, was strangled to death in her farm at Adumu Otukpa in Benue State.
The Nigerian soldier, simply identified as Baba, was said to be one of the soldiers killed at a check-point in Zuba, close to Zuma rock in Abuja on Thursday.
A former neighbour of the family, Pastor Flourish Atoju, narrated the tragedies on his Facebook handle on Friday, decrying the monumental loss of a widow and her son in the space of two days in similar circumstances.
“This young man was my neighbour; he was like a son to me. His younger sister, Oloiye was a friend to my kids; her mother was also very close to my wife.
“We were neighbours at Otukpa Branch.
“Three days ago (Tuesday), my daughter called us to inform us that Oloiye posted about the death of her mother.
“She went to her farm, it was in that place she was strangulated and killed by unknown persons.
“We all felt sad and shocked as well. We prayed that God console the family that she left behind.
“This afternoon (Friday) as I was going through Facebook, I saw this picture (Baba) announcing this young man’s obituary.
“I had to quickly make some findings if this was really the true picture of Baba, the son of the woman who died three days ago.
“They all confirmed that he was the one. The mother was strangulated and killed in her farm three days ago (Tuesday), the son died yesterday (Thursday).
“He was one of the soldiers killed at a check-point in Zuba close to Zuma rock in Abuja yesterday (Thursday).
“What kind of world is this? Nothing has touched me like this. I am still in deep shock.
“Have you seen or heard of a widow who swallowed all the ugly things that life threw at her; did everything to raise her three children until they became adults?
“This woman suffered, only to die at the gate of her prosperity? She did not only die, one of her sons she suffered to raise also died. “What kind of world is this?
“Oh! Lord, arise and fight this injustice. Rest well my brother,” Pastor Atoju, who’s the founder and senior pastor of Spring of Grace Assembly, Abuja, lamented.
Stonix News had reported that terrorists have threatened to abduct President Muhammadu Buhari, Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai and other top government functionaries in Abuja.
The precarious security situation has worsened with the minority caucus of the National Assembly calling for the impeachment of President Buhari much more after about 10 soldiers attached to the presidential Guards Brigade were killed by terrorists few days ago.
The Defence Headquarters, Abuja, has, however, urged Nigerians to go about their normal businesses, adding that 30 of the terrorists laying siege to FCT have been neutralised.
The DHQ had, late Thursday night, also reshuffled the rank and file of the Nigerian Army as part of the measures to stem the spate of insecurity in the country.
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