The Nigerian soldier attached to 243 Recce Battalion Ibereko, Badagry, LCP Mahmud Sulaiman, committed suicide by shooting himself on Thursday, June 3.

According to reports, the officer had accidentally shot a customs officer at the Oloko checkpoint, Gbaji on the Badagry-Seme expressway on Wednesday, June 2.

The soldier’s team leader was attempting to retrieve a gun from him after he noticed Sulaiman was acting strange.

An eyewitness said: “In the process of retrieving the cocked weapon from him, which he resisted, he accidentally fired a shot and the stray bullet hit one Inspector of Custom, C.N Walter. The customs officer, who was attached to Seme Border Area Command, was rushed to Badagry General Hospital for treatment.

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But unfortunately, the customs officer died at about 6:40 a.m. on Thursday in the hospital. Subsequently, Sulaiman also shot himself and died on the spot.”

A report by Lindaikejisblog.com said Sulaiman, who was recently redeployed to the Ibereko Battalion from the Theater of Operation in the North-East, had been behaving abnormally since assumption of duty in Badagry.

“He always cocks his AK 47 rifle fully loaded with ammunition, an action that made his Team Leader report the matter to the Commanding Officer of 243 Recce Battalion, Col. Nicholas Rume, where he was serving.

“The commanding officer immediately ordered for the retrieval of the weapon from him” the news website quoted an officer as having said.

The Customs Public Relations Officer in Seme border, Abdulahi Hussiain is reported to have confirmed the incident but said the situation has been brought under control.