The Nigerian Army has described the death of one of its personnel, Boyi ThankGod, who reportedly shot himself to death in Abeokuta, Ogun State, as an “incident of accidental firing.”
Daily Trust had reported that Thankgod, who was attached to the 35 Artillery brigade command, Alamala, Abeokuta, the state capital, allegedly shot himself in the head at the standby duty on the Armed Forces Remembrance Day.
A gory image which has gone viral on social media showed his lifeless body laid in the pool of his blood after his head had severed due to the impact of the bullet.
The Acting Deputy Director Army Public Relations 81 Division NA, Olabisi Ayeni, in a statement, on Wednesday, confirmed the incident, but blamed it on accidental firing by the deceased soldier.
According to him, investigation into the immediate cause of the incident, indicated that the deceased soldier reportedly handled his personal weapon negligently and misfired, which resulted in his death.
Ayeni said further investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances and possible remote cause of the unfortunate incident.
The Army Spokesman disclosed that the remains of the soldier have been evacuated and deposited at the Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta.
“The Division, through the Commander 35 Artillery Brigade, has informed the deceased family and also expressed heartfelt condolences and sympathy over the unfortunate incident.
“It is however, pertinent to reiterate that the Division is committed to providing necessary welfare required to boost the morale of troops under command in line with the Chief of Army Staff Command Philosophy. Therefore, the Division will not under any guise take the welfare of its troops lightly as wrongly insinuated,” he said.
He denied allegations that the soldier terminated his life due to non-payment of Ration Cash Allowance (RCA).
