A major disaster was averted yesterday
at the Armed Forces Remembrance Day ceremony at the National Arcade in
Abuja as one of the soldiers in the firing party mistakenly pointed his
rifle at President Goodluck Jonathan’s direction.
According to Leadership, the incident
happened immediately after the President and other top government
officials took turns to lay wreaths at the foot of the monument of the
Unknown Soldier in honour of Nigeria’s fallen heroes.
The incident which happened briefly
saw presidential guards quickly form a human shield around the President
when they noticed the soldier’s mistake to forestall tragedy.
Jonathan, who was in the middle of the
two-row firing party was apparently unaware of the incident as he stood
motionless after laying his wreaths.
During the traditional 21-gun salute,
the lower part of the soldier’s rifle mistakenly got tucked in his
uniform, which prevented him from lifting the rifle to his shoulder
level. This rifle tilted the posture of the soldier which caused the
barrel and muzzle of the gun to turn towards Jonathan.
Sensing the danger, a plain clothed
security agent standing behind the soldier quickly came to the soldier’s
rescue by correcting his posture and thereafter helped in
untangling what the lower sling swivel of the rifle from the his
uniform.
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