Mother of slain corps member recounts night of son's death in Abuja

Habiba Abubakar, mother of Abdulsamad Jamiu, a National Youth Service Corps member allegedly killed by soldiers in Dei-Dei, Abuja, has detailed the night she learned of his death. She was away for a burial when a neighbor called about gunshots. Her husband was initially evasive, telling her soldiers had taken Abdulsamad for interrogation. Her phone was taken from her, and when she eventually got it back, she realized her son was dead. She recounted being told that soldiers scaled their fence, entered through the backyard, and shot her son through his room door. She alleged that soldiers then instructed vigilante members to clean up the blood using items from her kitchen. Abdulsamad, 24, was killed on April 25 at his family home while his parents were absent. The Nigerian Army's Headquarters Guards Brigade claimed Jamiu was caught in a crossfire during a response to a distress call about armed robbers. However, the family rejected this account as "false, misleading, and an affront to the memory of an innocent young man," stating that the bullet trajectory indicated a shot fired from outside through a closed door, inconsistent with a firefight. They also noted no weapons were recovered, no armed adversary was identified, and only one gunshot was heard. The family further alleged that soldiers admitted at the scene, in the presence of a Divisional Police Officer, that they had made a mistake. The family is demanding an independent investigation, suspension and prosecution of tho