Confusion As Soldier Shoots Truck Driver Over N200

There was confusion in Kaduna on Monday as an unidentified soldier shot a truck driver, Abdul Saminu, for allegedly refusing to part with N200.

The driver was said to be conveying potatoes from Zaria to Kaduna.

The development made other truck drivers to use their vehicles to block both sides of the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway to protest against the shooting of their colleague.

This led to several hours of gridlock at Tudun Wada Dankande, near the old toll gate, where the incident occurred around midnight.

According to an eyewitness trouble started when the truck driver, on reaching the military checkpoint at the toll gate, was asked to dole out N200 by the soldiers.

The driver, it was gathered, initially refused, but later changed his mind and gave one of the soldiers N100.

It was learnt that the soldier refused to collect the N100.

At this juncture, the driver refused, incurring the wrath of the angry soldier, who pulled the trigger and shot the driver.

The eyewitness further added that the driver slumped and became unconscious.

It was learnt that the trigger-happy soldier took to his heels, believing that the truck driver had died.

The driver, it was learnt, was rushed to the St.Gerard Catholic Hospital, Kakuri, Kaduna South, for treatment.

Although the driver did not die, the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, visited the scene of the incident around 12.30pm to speak with the aggrieved tanker drivers.

He said the era of killing with impunity in the state was gone.

He said anybody found in the act would be made to face the full wrath of law.

Meanwhile, in a statement by the governor’s spokesman, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, el-Rufai also warned against any form of attack by person or group in the state.

The statement read in part, “We are calling on the people of Kaduna State not to commit murder or attack anybody in the state. All citizens in Kaduna State have the right to live in peace.

“Henceforth, the new administration will not allow killing of another fellow human being under any guise with impunity.”

As of the time of filing this report, there was no response from the military authorities.

But the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Zubairu Abubakar, said the command had contacted the leadership of the truck driver union for a peaceful resolution of the matter.

PUNCH