Monday, July 20, 2026

Nigerian soldier misfires service rifle, kills self, mistress

It was unclear whether or not Corporal Ojo Ayodele had recently returned from a tour in the ongoing war against Boko Haram.

• December 30, 2020
Ojo Ayodele
Remains of Corporal Ojo Ayodele and his mistress

A Nigerian Army corporal Ojo Ayodele has reportedly killed himself and a yet-to-be-identified lady presumed to be his mistress in an accidental discharge of his firearm, Peoples Gazette learnt Wednesday.

Military sources told the Gazette that the soldier, an operative of “Operation Safe Haven” who was deployed to Rafin Sanyi duty location in Sopp village, Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, was found in a pool of blood, alongside his slain lover on Wednesday afternoon.

Citing an internal army memo by military authorities, our sources disclosed that the late corporal was suspected to have “misfired” his rifle, leading to the tragic incident. 

“Efforts to recover the corpses are in progress,” the memo read, noting that the reason for the incident was yet to be ascertained.

The army correspondence added that the divisional police officer of Riyom Divisional Police Headquarters has been contacted on the matter.

An army spokesman did not immediately return requests from the Gazette for comments.

It was unclear whether or not the army corporal had recently returned from a tour in the ongoing war against Boko Haram. Several Nigerian soldiers have recently died of apparent suicide after suffering mental health degradation as a result of extensive deployment in the Northeast.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Southern Water

Economy

UK govt fines Southern Water £7 million for sewage pollution

The prosecution came almost exactly five years after Southern Water received a record £90 million fine for nearly 7,000 illegal sewage discharges.

Andy Burnham and Kemi Badenoch

World

Andy Burnham is people pleaser, doesn’t want scrutiny: Kemi Badenoch

The leader of the UK Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has described the prospective prime minister as a “people pleaser”.

UNICAL students

Education

UniCal reaffirms ban on wild post-exam celebrations, warns students

The University of Calabar has reiterated its ban on wild post-examination celebrations and other acts that could disrupt peace on campus.

Nigerian Governors Forum

Politics

Governors urged to embrace non-custodial prison sentences

Mr Enobore, a former spokesman for the Nigeria Correctional Service, gave the charge in an interview on Monday in Abuja.

Nigeria map and police officers

Opinion

Some foundational arguments on state police (Part Deux)

What kind of police federalism does Nigeria need?

collapsed building

States

Kano architects demand strict enforcement of building regulations

Disturbed by recurring cases of building collapses, the Kano State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Architects has called for strict enforcement of building regulations.