A nine-year-old girl, Zainab Bala-Umar, has been killed by a stray bullet from a Nigerian Army personnel at Gwanki Ward, Makarfi Local Government during the local government elections in Kaduna State.
Daily Trust quoted an eyewitness, Alhaji Yahaya Gwanki, who said the stray bullet was discharged from a military personnel on Saturday in an effort to disperse the crowd after the soldier was invited by a former chairman of the Makarfi local government who is also the candidate of the All Progressive Congress in the election.
The eyewitness said the APC candidate, Alhaji Kabir Maiyere, had gone to one of the polling units under Fadamar Gwanki and while having a conversation with an electoral officer over some challenges of the e-voting machine, some youths had to start to shout, ‘ba na so, ba na so” meaning “we don’t want.”
“Maiyere then invited soldiers who shot in the air and in the process, the girl was hit and died,” Gwanki said.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the State Police Command, Mohammed Jalige, said military personnel were not allowed to be at the polling units.
He said the police would arrest the suspects, investigate the matter and brief the press.
