Army General, Audu James Crushed To Death By ‘Drunk’ Soldier In Lagos Barracks

The Director of Finance at the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Brigadier-General Audu James has been crushed to death by a corporal, Abayomi Edun, inside the NAFRC Old Barracks in Lagos State.

Soldier Kills Army General

It was gathered that the deceased general was walking to his residence when the soldier driving an SUV with number plate EKY 177 FX, knocked down at the barracks on Tuesday night.

“The general was trekking to his apartment inside the Barracks when he was hit and knocked down by the drunk soldier. The soldier also resides inside the barracks and was seen driving recklessly before hitting the senior officer,” a source said.

The source said immediately after the incident, the general was swiftly evacuated to the NAFRC Medical Center, where doctors at the hospital confirmed him dead.

Edun, who was said to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident, has since been arrested and is being detained by NAFRC provost marshals investigating the matter.

The spokesman for the Nigerian Army, Onyema Nwachukwu, could not be reached for comment and had yet to respond to a text message sent to his phone number regarding the matter as of the time of filing this report.

However, a signal obtained by Punch confirmed that Ebun, who had been placed in custody for investigation, was drunk during the accident that claimed James’ life.

The signal read, “On November 22, one 04NA/98/397 CPL Abayomi Ebun of Nigerian Army Resource Centre ABJ on pass and residing at Block P, old Barracks, NAFRC, while driving out of the centre, knocked down the director of finance NAFRC, BRIG GEN James, who was walking to his house within the centre.

“The deceased senior officer was immediately evacuated to NAFRC medical centre where he was confirmed dead. The Commandant, DY COMDT DIRS and other senior officers were at the medical centre to confirm the incident.

“The driver was alleged to be drunk and was driving recklessly within the centre. Driver is presently detained at the NAFRC Provost for further investigations.”

The Welfare Officer, SEC 40, Kayode Olagunju, in a Facebook post on Wednesday, described the news of James’ death as a sad development.

The post read, “Sad news. We lost a gem. Our indefatigable, humble, friendly bridge builder, the Monitor General SEC 40 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Brig Gen Audu Ogbole James (mni) just departed.

“He died from injuries sustained from a knockdown on the road yesterday (15/11/22) evening in Lagos. May his soul rest in peace. Our condolences to the family, especially the SEC 40. May the Lord console all and grant the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss. So sad.”

KanyiDaily had also reported how a drunk policeman killed a Nigerian soldier, Donatus Vonkong, who was providing security for the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi, at his palace.