Amnesty International Urges Probe After 14-Year-Old Killed by Military Firearm in Maiduguri

Amnesty International has urged Nigerian authorities to immediately investigate what it described as the reckless use of firearms by military personnel, which resulted in the death of a 14-year-old girl in Maiduguri, Borno State.

The incident occurred on Saturday, April 4, when the secondary school student was hit by a stray bullet while inside her home.

According to reports, the bullet was allegedly fired by military personnel who were shooting into the air during a wedding celebration at a nearby event centre.

In a post shared on its official X handle on Sunday, Amnesty International described the killing as preventable and insisted that those responsible must be held accountable.

“The Nigerian authorities must investigate the reckless use of firearms by the military that killed a girl in Maiduguri, Borno State,” the organisation said.

A family friend revealed that the teenager was nowhere near the celebration when the incident happened.

“She lived in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) quarters with her family and was indoors at the time of the shooting,” the source said. “She had just finished applying henna for her mother and herself, happily preparing for a family wedding scheduled for that same day.”

The girl was buried on Sunday morning at a cemetery in Maiduguri, as relatives and friends mourned the sudden loss.

Amnesty International noted that the incident highlights the dangers of careless or unlawful use of firearms, especially in civilian areas.

The organisation called for a thorough, transparent, and impartial investigation, stressing that anyone found culpable must be brought to justice.