Donatus Vonkong, a soldier providing security for Abubakar El-Kanemi, Shehu of Borno, has been killed by a policeman at the palace.
The armed policeman was said to have returned to the palace area drunk around midnight on Tuesday.
Sources at the palace told TheCable that the policeman started “misbehaving” and Vonkong, a warrant officer who heads the security unit at the palace had to intervene.
“He first ordered that the policeman be disarmed, but his policemen colleagues started begging that he would be fine,” one of the sources said.
“Vonkong agreed, and we thought the matter had been addressed. Suddenly, the policeman engaged his rifle and started shooting sporadically. It was while trying to get around him that a bullet hit Vonkong in the chest and he died immediately.”
The situation almost led to a fight between the army and the police, sources said, but senior officers from both agencies quickly intervened.
“There was a delegation of senior police officers from the command who immediately went to see the army’s theatre commander,” another source said.
“The matter was going to escalate and this could lead to soldiers, in retaliation, opening fire on police officers. In fact, a number of policemen immediately left their duty post in fear of a retaliatory attack.”
Vonkong was said to have been handpicked by the Shehu to serve as his chief of security since 2012 when he reportedly saved the monarch from a suicide bomber.
El-Kanemi had escaped the bomb blast that went off immediately after Jumat prayers at a mosque in front of his palace. About 10 people died in the blast.
Vonkong who had noticed the suicide bomber moving close to the Shehu was said to have jumped to pull out the Shehu. The soldier also sustained injury while ensuring the safety of the monarch.
When contacted, Kamiludeen Sani, police spokesperson in the state, could not immediately comment on the incident.
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