The bereaved family of Abdulsamad Jamiu, a 24-year-old National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, has issued a scathing rebuttal to the Nigerian Army’s account of his death, describing the military’s “crossfire” narrative as a fabrication.

The family maintains that the young graduate was not a victim of a chaotic shootout between soldiers and robbers in Dei-Dei, Abuja, but was instead shot inside his bedroom after soldiers unlawfully scaled the fence of his residence in the early hours of April 25, 2026.

According to the Headquarters Guards Brigade, Jamiu was an unfortunate casualty of a security operation triggered by a distress call from residents under attack by armed robbers.

In a statement released on Saturday, the brigade’s spokesperson, Odunola Olawuyi, characterized the incident as a “tragic” result of a tactical confrontation.

“Upon arrival, the troops came under gunfire from the fleeing armed robbers, resulting in a brief but intense exchange. In the course of the engagement, Mr Jamiu was caught in the crossfire,” Olawuyi said.

The Army asserted that their primary objective was to secure the area and protect residents, though Jamiu later succumbed to his injuries.

In a detailed and emotional statement issued on Monday, the Jamiu family categorically dismissed the military’s claims, asserting that the Army’s version of events is “false, misleading, and an affront to the memory of an innocent young man.”

They revealed that Jamiu was at his home in the Dei-Dei Shagari Quarters while his parents were away in Okene for a burial. Around 2:00 a.m., soldiers allegedly entered the compound covertly.

“This is not the entry pattern of a unit responding to an active armed robbery in lawful hot pursuit. This is the entry pattern of a covert, unannounced, and unlawful forced entry into a private residence,” the family stated.

The family further alleged that Jamiu was shot through his bedroom door. His sister, who was present, was reportedly told by the soldiers to go outside and “calm down” after she heard the gunfire.

“The trajectory of the bullet… conclusively establishes that the shot was fired from outside the room, through the closed door,” the family said, adding that this “is not consistent with a firefight” but rather “consistent with military personnel discharging a lethal weapon at a person they could not see.”

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The family highlighted significant inconsistencies in the Army’s report, noting that residents and local vigilantes only reported hearing one single shot—the one that killed Abdulsamad.

“Every witness is consistent on one critical point: the only gunshot heard that night was the shot fired inside the Jamiu family residence,” they said.

Challenging the claim of an exchange of fire with robbers, the statement added: “An exchange of gunfire presupposes an adversary who is armed and actively firing. No such adversary has been identified. No weapon was recovered from the scene.”

Perhaps most significantly, the family claims that soldiers at the scene were initially remorseful before the “crossfire” narrative was established.

“The soldiers acknowledged that the killing of Abdulsamad Jamiu was a mistake. They admitted that they had killed an innocent person,” the statement said, noting that this admission was documented in the presence of a Divisional Police Officer.

The family also raised the alarm regarding the preservation of the crime scene, alleging that “vigilante members were instructed by the military personnel to mop up the blood and flush it.” They noted that this directive raised “grave questions” about an attempt to destroy evidence.

Demanding a full retraction and an independent investigation, the family called for the suspension and prosecution of the personnel involved.

“The Nigerian Military operates under a constitutional mandate to protect Nigerian citizens. On the night of 25th April 2026, that mandate was catastrophically and fatally violated.

“The family does not seek vengeance. The family seeks justice. Justice requires truth. Justice requires accountability,” the statement concluded.