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abujagirl
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There was slight panic at Nigeria's Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration on Thursday when the gun barrel and muzzle of an unnamed Nigerian soldier was reportedly pointed at President Goodluck Jonathan; THIS DAY reports.
Narrating the incident, THIS DAY wrote; Shortly after the prayers, the president laid a wreath, followed by Vice-President Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, was absent.
Jonathan and other top government dignitaries took turn to lay wreaths at the foot of the monument of the 'Unknown Soldier'- a symbolic gesture in honour of the nation's fallen heroes from active military service.
However, the drama started when one of the soldiers in the ‘firing party,’ who unfortunately was on the president’s right side, mistakenly got the butt of his rifle entangled in his military uniform, preventing him from lifting the rifle to his shoulder.
As the scenario was playing out, unknown to the president, who as custom demands, stood in the middle of the ‘firing party,’ made up of soldiers from all the three services of the armed forces, and was looking straight at the monument of the ‘Unknown Soldier’ opposite Eagle Square.
Fortunately, the eagle-eyed security agents were quick to observe that the rifle had tilted the posture of the soldier, causing the barrel and muzzle of the gun to turn towards the president who was standing at the middle of the ‘firing party.’
Alarmed, a plain-clothed security agent standing behind the firing party immediately intervened from behind the soldier. He, at first, tried to correct the soldier’s skewed posture and eventually helped to untangle what might have been the lower sling swivel (rope attached to the butt of the gun) from the soldier’s uniform.
Instantly, two presidential guards who were standing behind the president’s aide-de-camp (ADC) also moved in quickly to the right flank of the president, placing their body between the president and the soldier, while the 21-gun salute continued as if there was nothing amiss.
Calm and unruffled, President Jonathan completed the ceremony by freeing the symbolic white doves and signing the 2015 AFRDC register.
#Nigeria
Narrating the incident, THIS DAY wrote; Shortly after the prayers, the president laid a wreath, followed by Vice-President Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, was absent.
Jonathan and other top government dignitaries took turn to lay wreaths at the foot of the monument of the 'Unknown Soldier'- a symbolic gesture in honour of the nation's fallen heroes from active military service.
However, the drama started when one of the soldiers in the ‘firing party,’ who unfortunately was on the president’s right side, mistakenly got the butt of his rifle entangled in his military uniform, preventing him from lifting the rifle to his shoulder.
As the scenario was playing out, unknown to the president, who as custom demands, stood in the middle of the ‘firing party,’ made up of soldiers from all the three services of the armed forces, and was looking straight at the monument of the ‘Unknown Soldier’ opposite Eagle Square.
Fortunately, the eagle-eyed security agents were quick to observe that the rifle had tilted the posture of the soldier, causing the barrel and muzzle of the gun to turn towards the president who was standing at the middle of the ‘firing party.’
Alarmed, a plain-clothed security agent standing behind the firing party immediately intervened from behind the soldier. He, at first, tried to correct the soldier’s skewed posture and eventually helped to untangle what might have been the lower sling swivel (rope attached to the butt of the gun) from the soldier’s uniform.
Instantly, two presidential guards who were standing behind the president’s aide-de-camp (ADC) also moved in quickly to the right flank of the president, placing their body between the president and the soldier, while the 21-gun salute continued as if there was nothing amiss.
Calm and unruffled, President Jonathan completed the ceremony by freeing the symbolic white doves and signing the 2015 AFRDC register.
#Nigeria
