A spokesman for the Nigerian Army’s anti-terrorist operation, said investigations are underway into the matter.
A Nigerian soldier has shot and wounded a United Nations pilot and killed an aid worker and a fellow soldier at a military base in northeastern Nigeria.
This was announced in a tweet by the Nigerian military on Thursday evening.
The Theater Command Operation HADIN KAI regrets to inform the general public of what happened on our military base today. A soldier shot and killed the workers of one of the non-governmental organizations that provide aid in the North East… pic.twitter.com/gEhge6fYd3
– Nigerian Army (@HQNigerianArmy) November 17, 2022
The injured pilot is from the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) in the North East, where troops are battling militant groups such as Boko Haram and its affiliates including the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Samson Nantip Zhakom, a spokesman for the anti-terrorist force, said an unnamed soldier shot and killed a worker at one of the local aid agencies, before turning on a fellow soldier.
“The soldiers who were on the ground immediately intervened in the chaos,” Zhakom said, adding that the injured co-driver was stabilized at the hospital.
It is not yet known what led to the attack, but Zhakom said investigations are underway.
UNHAS provides transport for aid workers traveling to and from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, which is the most vulnerable to the conflict.
A witness told Reuters that the soldier approached a UNHAS helicopter inside the military base in Damboa and shot the pilot as he tried to escape. He then turned around and shot some aid workers who were trying to board the helicopter.
UNHAS said it had suspended all helicopter flights to and from the field until further notice.
