Amnesty International has urged Nigerian authorities to immediately investigate what it described as the reckless discharge of firearms by military personnel, which resulted in the death of a 14-year-old girl in Maiduguri, Borno State.
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The tragic 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 statement shared on its official X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, Amnesty International condemned the incident, stressing that the killing was preventable and must not go without accountability.
“The Nigerian authorities must investigate the reckless use of firearms by the military that killed a girl in Maiduguri, Borno State,” Amnesty International said.
A family friend of the victim explained that the teenager was not anywhere near the celebration when the tragedy occurred.
“She lived in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) quarters with her family and was inside her home when the tragedy occurred,” the source said. “She had just finished applying henna for her mother and herself, joyfully preparing for a family wedding scheduled for that same day.”
The girl was later buried on Sunday morning at the Maiduguri cemetery, as family members and friends struggled to come to terms with the sudden loss.
Amnesty International stressed that incidents like this illustrate the dangers of unlawful or careless use of weapons, particularly in civilian areas.
The group called for a transparent, impartial, and effective investigation into the shooting, adding that those found responsible must be held accountable.
