Hunter kills passenger at checkpoint over ₦1,000 payment dispute
Jibril, a hunter, shot and killed Jidda Muhammad, a passenger, with a pump-action gun in Borno State’s Mafa Local Government Area.
The fatal incident occurred during a stop-and-search operation following a disagreement between the two. The incident was gathered to have occurred around 1 pm on Saturday.
PUNCH Metro’s investigation into the incident was prompted by a Facebook post made on Sunday by Abubakar Kingimi Ali, a relative of the deceased. Ali alleged that the hunter shot Jidda Muhammad because of the passenger’s refusal to pay the sum of N1,000 at the checkpoint.
His post reads: “Today, I share devastating news with a heavy heart. My dear friend, Alhaji Jidda Muhammad, was brutally murdered by a retired Boko Haram member near Mafa, LGA of Borno State.
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He was returning from Gomboru Ngala to Maiduguri when they stopped him, demanded ₦1,000, and, upon his refusal, shot him with AK-47 rifles.”
He added, “This wasn’t just a robbery.
It was a cold-blooded execution. And it reflects the terrifying reality that many in Borno face daily: where former insurgents roam freely, extorting and killing innocent civilians with impunity.”
However, local security sources, who spoke on Monday and wished to remain anonymous, offered a different account of the motive. They confirmed to our correspondent that the incident happened after a disagreement escalated into an altercation between the hunter and the passenger.
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The source stated, “The incident occurred on October 4, around 1pm. Jibril is a member of the hunters’ union who was at a checkpoint for a stop-and-search operation. He had a confrontation with Jidda Muhammad, a passenger. That is what led to the firing. He killed him with a pump-action.”
When questioned about whether the issue involved money, the source maintained, “As far as I know, it is not money-related. It was just a misunderstanding.”
Meanwhile, attempts to reach the spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, for official comments were unsuccessful, as he neither picked up nor returned calls as of press time.
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