A big tragedy has taken place in Bayelsa, where a soldier, Lance Corporal Muazu Haruna, posted to the Government House in Yenagoa, yesterday night shot and killed a colleague, Staff Sergeant, Ishiaku Shuaibu. News Express learnt that both soldiers were attached to the 423 Battalion of the Elele Barrack in neighbouring Rivers State.

Lt.- Col. Mustapha Anka, spokesman of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, confirmed the incident. He described it as most unfortunate, assuring that ongoing investigations would unravel the circumstances that led to the shooting.

The tragedy happened at about 10pm during a dinner held to mark the 2014 Legal Year for the Judiciary with the Gov. Seriake Dickson in attendance.

Lance Corporal Haruna, who reportedly arrived from the Elele Military Barracks after collecting his duty allowances, was said to have snatched the service rifle of Staff Sergeant Shuaibu and shot him dead at his duty post.

A source said: “He immediately ran away with the rifle and board a commercial tricycle popularly known as Keke NAPEP and headed towards hospital road.

“The sounds of the gun shots attracted the policemen on duty at the Banquet Hall, who intercepted the tricycle and apprehended the fleeing soldier and the tricycle driver.

“The policemen immediately found the dead body of the soldier in a pool of blood at his duty post.”

The killer soldier, who was taken initially to the Yenagoa Area Command of the Police, has been handed over to the Joint Task Force for further investigation.

•Photo shows Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah.