27th December, 2014
An Air Force personnel carrying a bag was roughened at a mosque in Nasarawa ward in Yola on Friday after he was mistaken for a suicide bomber, the Weekly Trust reported.
Eyewitnesses said the uniformed soldier man attempted to pass through the congregation but refused to declare the contents of his luggage when he was asked to do so, prompting suspicion that he could be carrying explosives.
“It took the intervention of vigilantes who whisked him to Dubeli Police Station where he was protected by the police. People were apprehensive because of recent happenings. It is a common fact that Boko Haram insurgents do wear military uniforms,” a resident said.
Confirming the incident, the Adamawa State police spokesman, DSP Othman Abubakar, said the soldier was attending Friday prayer at the mosque when a false alarm was raised against him. He said if not for the timely intervention of the police, the soldier would have been lynched and advised the public report suspicious people to the police instead of taking the law in their hands.
Residents have become vigilant at worship centres and other public places out of fear of possible Boko Haram attacks.