A soldier confessed to the crime as he related how the Islamic cleric gave him a ride before being killed.

At the Nguru Army Barracks, Sheikh Goni Aisami drove John Gabriel, a soldier. The cleric permitted the soldier to board the vehicle after hearing that he was traveling to Jaji-Maji in Yobe.

However, on Friday, August 19, the soldier opened fire at the cleric while they were traveling and attempted to flee with his Honda model from 2006.

Two people have been detained by the Yobe Police Command in relation to the homicide. John Gabriel explained that he tricked the Islamic cleric into going to his death by saying his car was making a noise while he was being paraded.

The soldier got out of the car and pulled out his gun as the Islamic cleric got down to look under the car for the source of the noise.

He claimed that the cleric asked the suspect what he had done after noticing him pointing the gun at him and the suspect replied that he had done nothing.

John said he then fired a warning shot, hoping the cleric would run away, but he didn't. He said that he fired a second warning shot and it hit the cleric, killing him.

The Yobe Police Command’s spokesman, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed that the two suspects had claimed to be soldiers attached to 241 Recce Model Battalion, Nguru.

He said the incident occurred at about 10 p.m. on Friday after Aisami gave one of the suspects a lift.

He explained that Aisami was driving his car to Gashua from Nguru when the principal suspect, who was in mufti and carrying a camp bed, pleaded with him for a lift to Jaji-Maji.