A senior officer of the Nigerian Navy, Lt. Commander M. Buba, was stabbed to death by a suspected robber in the Kawo area of Kaduna while fixing a flat tyre on his vehicle in the early hours of Saturday, June 7.
The incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. near the Kawo flyover bridge. Lt. Cdr. Buba, a student at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, was reportedly alone when he encountered the attacker.
Eyewitnesses said the assailant approached the officer and demanded his mobile phone. When he refused, the attacker stabbed him in the chest with a sharp object believed to be a locally made knife.
“It happened so fast,” said Suleiman Dahiru, a local vigilante who was at the scene. “I rushed to help when I heard him shouting, but the thief turned on me too and stabbed my hand. Before people could gather, the officer was already down.”
The attacker was later overpowered and beaten to death by a group of residents who arrived at the scene.
Lt. Cdr. Buba was taken to Manaal Hospital but was confirmed dead on arrival. His body was moved to the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna.
A security source said covert operations had commenced following the incident. “There is now increased patrol and intelligence gathering around strategic locations like bus stops, bridges, and known black spots in Kaduna metropolis,” the source said.
The source added: “What happened is tragic and unacceptable. We are working with the police and civil security operatives to fish out other criminals who hide in plain sight, especially at such critical hours.”