Tragedy struck on Saturday night when a senior naval officer, identified as Lieutenant Commodore M. Buba, was stabbed to death during a robbery attempt at the Kawo Bridge area of Kaduna metropolis.
According to eyewitness accounts, the officer, who was undergoing a course at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, had a flat tyre while returning to base.
He was reportedly trying to fix the tyre when an unidentified assailant approached him and demanded his mobile phone and other valuables.
“When the officer refused and questioned the demand, the hoodlum suddenly stabbed him in the chest with a local knife,” an eyewitness said.
A local vigilante member, Suleiman Dahiru, who witnessed the incident, attempted to intervene but was also stabbed in the hand.
Despite his injuries, Dahiru and other bystanders managed to overpower the attacker, who was subsequently lynched on the spot.
The injured officer was rushed to Manaal Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. His remains were later transferred to the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital mortuary in Kaduna.
A senior military source, who requested anonymity, confirmed the development and disclosed that security forces have been deployed for covert operations aimed at flushing out criminal elements around Kaduna’s high-risk zones, including bus stops and bridges.
Speaking on the incident, the spokesperson for the Kaduna State Police Command, ASP Mansir Hassan, described it as “unfortunate” and assured the public that law enforcement is intensifying efforts to secure the area and the state at large.
