A 60-year-old man, Ibrahim Bulama, was allegedly beaten to death by two Air Force men during a clash over a prostitute at a red light zone in Maiduguri, Punch reports.
Some residents of the town who spoke anonymously with the publication said one of the Air Force men, Lance Corporal Kamal Usman, had a disagreement with the old man at the red light zone.
Some youths in the area supported the old man and beat up the Air Force man, who subsequently went to reinforce, bringing another colleague of his.
They said the two Air Force men engaged the old man, beating him to a pulp. He allegedly died later of the injuries he sustained during the encounter.
Briefing journalists on the incident on Thursday in his office, the 105 Composite Commander, Air Commodore Charles Ohwo, said that,
“Preliminary investigation revealed that, on Wednesday December 7, 2016, an airman, Lance Corporal Kamal Usman, left his duty post at about 10pm, and on his way home, came across some gathering in Okona Hotel, and in an attempt to find out what was wrong, the crowd got scared and took to their heels.
“When he decided to check the surroundings to find out what scared the crowd, he entered one room and found a woman lying on a bed.
“Unfortunately, the deceased old man, Bulama, mobilised some people and came back to the hotel and attacked him from the back with machete, inflicting serious injuries on Lance Corporal Kamal Usman’s head and also snatched his rifle.
“On sensing danger, the Lance Corporal left and mobilised his fellow colleague for assistance. Upon arrival at the scene, the two Air Force men descended on the old man, and beat him to death in the process of recovering Usman’s rifle.
“The airman is now recuperating at the Air Force medical facility in Maiduguri, while his colleague who was involved in the incident have been detained, pending further investigation,” Ohwo said.
While appealing to the general public to be calm, Ohwo, who said the Air Force was not discountenancing the rumour that the injured airman was attacked while raping a woman, assured that the case would be thoroughly investigated, and whoever is found guilty will be punished accordingly, as the “Nigerian Air Force is a credible organisation which does not want its name to be dragged into mud.”
When Punch visited the hospital, the injured airman, who was chained to the bed, had several cuts on his head.
