Soldiers kill passenger at checkpoint in Katsina

Soldiers in Katsina State on Thursday opened fire on a commercial vehicle with registration number AY504KTN, killing one of the passengers.
Captain Ikedichi Iweha, the spokesman of the Joint Task Force in the state, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria in Katsina.
Iweha said that the soldiers opened fire on the vehicle when the driver attempted to beat a military checkpoint at Batagarawa area of the state.
He said that one of the passengers in the vehicle was hit and died instantly.
The JTF spokesman said that the affected driver had been arrested while the vehicle had been placed under the custody of the army.
Iweha said that investigation into the incident had also commenced.
Meanwhile, an eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, told newsmen that the driver allegedly attempted to overtake a truck at the checkpoint.
The eyewitness said that the deceased was later identified as Umar Ali, 22, a National Diploma II student of Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic, Katsina.
According to the witness, the deceased was travelling along with his friends to Minna, Niger State for a wedding ceremony when the incident occurred.