At least one person killed while several others injured after a demolition team of the Borno Geographic Information Service, BOGIS, opened fire at armless civilians protesting the demolition of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa Nigeria, EYN Church in Maduganari area of the state capital, Maiduguri.
The incident PRNigeria gathered occured when some angry youths confronted the team headed by Adam Bukar-Bababe, the BOGIS Executive Secretary, after they started demolishing the church structure allegedly without notice.
The protest was triggered after a driver of an escalator started destroying the structure of the church including the properties inside which includes; Chairs, board, fridges, televisions, public address system.
It was alleged that a Civilian Joint Task Force member in the demolition team opened fire at the crowd to dispersed them which resulted in the killing of young man identified as 29-year-old Ezekiel Bitrus, while five others sustained serious injuries.
The reckless shooting, however, provoked angry youths within the communities who went on rampage to convey their displeasure over the killing by attacking the team.
The BOGIS Executive Secretary, narrowly escaped lynching before he was whisked away by security personnels, while other members of his team took to their heels.
The sources said that the shooter also escaped while other members of the Civilian Joint Task Force removed their uniforms and fled the scene for the fear of being lynched.
However, four vehicles belonging to a humanitarian organisation were vandalised by the youths.
It took intervention from the personnel’s from the Borno Police Command, Garrison Command of Operation Hadin Kai, a team from the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, to bring the situation under control.
Meanwhile, Borno Governor, Babagana Zulum, has ordered the Borno police command to immediately investigate the violent clash.
Mr Zulum condemned in strong terms the firing of gunshots by a member of security task force as well as some persons who hurled stones at the task force during an encounter on Thursday.
Mr Zulum’s spokesman Isa Gusau, said the governor commiserated with families of the person who died and those injured.
The governor also called the chairman of CAN in Borno State, Bishop Mohammed Naga and spoke with him to commiserate with the Christian community and leadership and family of the EYN church in Borno.
Mr Zulum also invited the CAN leadership for meeting.
He also directed the deputy governor, Umar Kadafur to visit the hospital where five injured persons are receiving treatment, to empathize with them and also takeover the cost of their treatment.