A 16-year-old boy, Emmanuel Danladi, has allegedly shot and killed his 15-year-old friend, Titus Joseph, with a dane gun belonging to his father in Kwamba, Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State.
The tragic incident reportedly occurred on March 1 while the two teenagers were playing at Emmanuel’s residence in the community.
According to reports, Emmanuel allegedly picked up the fully loaded Dane gun owned by his father, Danladi Baba, a member of a local vigilante group, and shot Titus in the stomach at close range. The victim died from the gunshot wound.
Police operatives from the Maje Division were said to have responded promptly after receiving information about the incident and evacuated the victim’s body to the General Hospital in Suleja.
Following the incident, Emmanuel Danladi and his father were arrested by the police over alleged negligence and culpable homicide.
The firearm used in the shooting was recovered by the police as evidence, while both suspects were subsequently transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Minna for further investigation.
The spokesperson of the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday, stating that the case remains under investigation pending prosecution.
Abiodun said the police received a report at about 6 p.m. on March 1 that Emmanuel Danladi of Kwamba in Suleja was playing with his friend, Titus Joseph, when the incident occurred.
He explained that the suspect allegedly picked up a loaded dane gun belonging to his 51-year-old father, who is a member of a vigilante group in Suleja, and shot the victim at close range in the stomach, resulting in his death.
According to the police spokesperson, officers from the division moved to the scene immediately, recovered the firearm used in the incident, and took the victim’s body to the hospital, while the suspect and his father were taken into custody.
He added that the suspects and the recovered gun have since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Minna for further investigation and possible prosecution.
