Three youths were reportedly killed and many others injured when soldiers suspected to be attached to the Special Task Force (STF) on peacekeeping in Jos opened fire on them while celebrating a birthday party at Joenice Bar at Nyango Gel, Bukuru low cost area of Jos, the Plateau State capital, late Sunday night.
But the STF has denied the allegation, saying nobody was killed by soldiers.
It was gathered that a heated argument had ensued at the party, prompting the club owner to alert the soldiers stationed around the area. As the soldiers arrived the club, they purportedly started shooting, killing three persons and injuring several others, who are now receiving treatment in the hospital.
An eyewitness said: “When the solders got to the club, they just opened fire on us, I was lucky to have escaped unhurt.”
Also, a father of one of the deceased, Mr. Nantel Miri, said it was incredible that “the same soldiers tasked with the responsibility of protecting the citizenry were the ones killing innocent youths at a party.”
Miri called for justice for his son and appealed to the Commander of the STF to ensure that the soldiers that perpetrated the killings are brought to book.
A resident of the area, Mr Rintim, described the incident as pathetic. He called on the army and commander of the STF to investigate the matter and ensure that the culprits are brought to book.
But the STF has denied in a telephone interview that its soldiers killed any youth in Jos.
The spokesman for the STF, Capt. Ikedichi Iweha, said the youths of the area had been picketing the bar, asking the owner to pay rent to them.
He said the matter got serious on that particular day compelling the owner to appeal to the soldiers to provide security after the youths threatened to kill him.
“I can tell you that nobody was killed at Joenice. The soldiers only responded to the distress call of the man who said the youths threatened to kill him if he refused to pay them rent,” Iweha said.
The police said they had not received an official report on the incident. Its Public Relations Officer, Mr. Abuh Emmanuel, said: “An official report from the Divisional Police Officer in Bukuru on the incident has not reached us, but we would investigate and get to the root of the matter.”
