SaharaReporters has learnt that Isuwa Kiforo, the Director of Administration and Finance in the Kaduna State Ministry of Information, who was shot last week after he was mistaken for a suicide bomber has died of gunshot injuries. The victim died this morning (Nigerian time).

Nigerian soldiers shot and seriously wounded Mr. Kiforo at Kaduna State Government House.

The senior bureaucrat was shot after soldiers guarding the Government House accused him of security breach, claiming that he unlawfully forced his way into the premises.

The soldiers fired several bullets at Mr. Kiforo following his alleged forcible entry into the Government House. The bullets hit Mr. Kiforo’s legs and lower abdomen. He was then rushed to a hospital after he was recognized as a director on official business and not a suicide bomber as alleged by the soldiers.

Mr. Kiforo, who was also a pastor at the Living Faith Church in Kaduna, died in the Brigadier General A.A. Abubakar Ward in the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna (popularly known as “44 Hospital”).

After Mr. Kiforo was admitted at the hospital, a source at the medical facility told SaharaReporters that the man’s condition “looked very bad and his chances of survival are slim.” The source disclosed that the victim had “bled for a while and lost a lot of blood before he was brought to the hospital.”

The same source told SaharaReporters today that Mr. Kiforo was confirmed dead around 9:30 a.m.

The source said, “He could not make it because his body organs had been destroyed or damaged beyond what the surgeons at the hospital could handle.”

In addition, the hospital source said, “About 13 live bullets were recovered in the course of surgery, and he lost excessive blood and had horrible gunshot wounds. And so by his age and situation it was very difficult for him to survive beyond this point.”

The hospital source added that “Nobody expected that he would even survive one hour after the incident. It was miraculous that he made till today.”

Mr. Kiforo’s son, Manasse, who is a graduate of Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, was at the hospital along with his mother at the time of his father’s death. He sent several SMS messages to friends and relations announcing his father's death.

After announcing his father's demise, Manasse and his mother, Mrs. Charity Kiforo, drove out of the hospital after the deceased was taken to the mortuary.

Mr. Kiforo, who was 52 years, hailed from Ziturung, Bajju Chiefdom in Zangon Kataf local government area of Southern Kaduna. He was born on March 20, 1959, and is survived by a wife, and five children, four sons and a daughter.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/kaduna-ministry-official-taken-suicide-bomber-dies-gunshot-wounds

11 bullet in his body?? I don't believe the soldiers story. RIP pastor!

May his soul rest in peace, Amen.

Anyone who thinks they can order their driver to bulldoze through an ARMED checkpoint will certainly get a quick lesson in terminal ballistics, and then that person die in spectacular fashion .

When troops are drafted ANYWHERE, they are on a hair-trigger, and will open fire at the slightest suspicion elicited by passers-by or vehicles.

The man who just died from his bullet wounds was afflicted with African Big-Manism, coupled with a severe case of Man-Pass-Manism, which was also further compounded by acute infections of  "Do you know who I am ?"

Personally, I fell NO pity for that ignorant and arrogant muffuguh, but if his death serves as a lesson to other Big Men who think they are too cool for school, then it was all for a good cause.

Jakumo:

Anyone who thinks they can order their driver to bulldoze through an ARMED checkpoint will certainly get a quick lesson in terminal ballistics, and then that person die in spectacular fashion .

When troops are drafted ANYWHERE, they are on a hair-trigger, and will open fire at the slightest suspicion elicited by passers-by or vehicles.

The man who just died from his bullet wounds was afflicted with African Big-Manism, coupled with a severe case of Man-Pass-Manism, which was also further compounded by acute infections of "Do you know who I am ?"

Personally, I fell NO pity for that ignorant and arrogant muffuguh, but if his death serves as a lesson to other Big Men who think they are too cool for school, then it was all for a good cause.

a lesson for others. Rip

Jakumo:

Anyone who thinks they can order their driver to bulldoze through an ARMED checkpoint will certainly get a quick lesson in terminal ballistics, and then that person die in spectacular fashion .

When troops are drafted ANYWHERE, they are on a hair-trigger, and will open fire at the slightest suspicion elicited by passers-by or vehicles.

The man who just died from his bullet wounds was afflicted with African Big-Manism, coupled with a severe case of Man-Pass-Manism, which was also further compounded by acute infections of  "Do you know who I am ?"

Personally, I fell NO pity for that ignorant and arrogant muffuguh, but if his death serves as a lesson to other Big Men who think they are too cool for school, then it was all for a good cause.

Word.

May his soul rest in peace.

Jakumo:

Anyone who thinks they can order their driver to bulldoze through an ARMED checkpoint will certainly get a quick lesson in terminal ballistics, and then that person die in spectacular fashion .

When troops are drafted ANYWHERE, they are on a hair-trigger, and will open fire at the slightest suspicion elicited by passers-by or vehicles.

The man who just died from his bullet wounds was afflicted with African Big-Manism, coupled with a severe case of Man-Pass-Manism, which was also further compounded by acute infections of  "Do you know who I am ?"
Personally, I fell NO pity for that ignorant and arrogant muffuguh, but if his death serves as a lesson to other Big Men who think they are too cool for school, then it was all for a good cause.

Bros, you harsh o!

Jakumo:

Anyone who thinks they can order their driver to bulldoze through an ARMED checkpoint will certainly get a quick lesson in terminal ballistics, and then that person die in spectacular fashion .

When troops are drafted ANYWHERE, they are on a hair-trigger, and will open fire at the slightest suspicion elicited by passers-by or vehicles.

The man who just died from his bullet wounds was afflicted with African Big-Manism, coupled with a severe case of Man-Pass-Manism, which was also further compounded by acute infections of  "Do you know who I am ?"

Personally, I fell NO pity for that ignorant and arrogant muffuguh, but if his death serves as a lesson to other Big Men who think they are too cool for school, then it was all for a good cause.

dats d dead u talking about, watch ur tongue. RIP Pastor

princemmab:

dats d dead u talking about, watch ur tongue. RIP Pastor

But he is right. The man acted really stupid. Its sad the way he ended but he had it coming.

It makes no sense, seems like a well planned muder to me. Is it the first time he is coming to the government house?. Didn't the soldiers see his plate number?

A lesson to all that we live in perilous times and we need to adapt, if the soldiers says stop then you better stop,
Needless needless death
RIP

bulksms247:

It makes no sense, seems like a well planned muder to me. Is it the first time he is coming to the government house?. Didn't the soldiers see his plate number?

is it by plate number? who told you boko haram doesn't have access to govt. plate numbers?
because he goes to govt. house doesn't free him from suspicion

bulksms247:

It makes no sense, seems like a well planned muder to me. (1) Is it the first time he is coming to the government house?. (2)Didn't the soldiers see his plate number?

(1) He was just a bloody Director of Finance in the Ministry of Information. Why should he be a regular visitor in government house. How frequent will the visits of his Permanent secretary and commissioner be?

(2) What if a bomber use a government number plate?

Like Jakumo said, soilders are not deployed to the streets to take tea.

too bad,

That is the price to pay for 'Bigmanism', when a government official feels too big to be stopped for security check at a time when a terrorist group is bombing public buildings.Why did he fail to stop for security check forcefully driving in which is the same way the suicide bombers do? And he is a church pastor? A pastor failing to obey the law of the land? The Bible says in the Book of James that you commit sin against God when you know what is right to do but fail to do it.
The soldiers should not be blamed. They did their lawful duty. what has his plate number got to do with his refusal to stop for security check? Dont armed robbers and smugglers use government plate numbers to carry out their evil acts? So vehicles bearing government plate numbers should not be checked?Government plate number,my foot!
Next time, you come across a checkpoint and you are asked to stop for check, it is wise to humble yourself and obey.

The trigger happy soldiers simply felt like abusing their shoot on sight orders on someone who they didn't like. Justice must prevail. Let the soldiers pay for the madness

Jakumo:

Anyone who thinks they can order their driver to bulldoze through an ARMED checkpoint will certainly get a quick lesson in terminal ballistics, and then that person die in spectacular fashion .

When troops are drafted ANYWHERE, they are on a hair-trigger, and will open fire at the slightest suspicion elicited by passers-by or vehicles.

The man who just died from his bullet wounds was afflicted with African Big-Manism, coupled with a severe case of Man-Pass-Manism, which was also further compounded by acute infections of  "Do you know who I am ?"

Personally, I fell NO pity for that ignorant and arrogant muffuguh, but if his death serves as a lesson to other Big Men who think they are too cool for school, then it was all for a good cause.

correct, ! Its hight time cctv cams are installed in such public buildings' gates.

velo10:

The trigger happy soldiers simply felt like abusing their shoot on sight orders on someone who they didn't like. Justice must prevail. Let the soldiers pay for the madness

Pay for what and pay for what madness.Pay that a Director/Pastor will not stop for routine check in a dangerous terrain.

bulksms247:

Is it the first time he is coming to the government house?. Didn't the soldiers see his plate number?

This is the exact line of reasoning he had; and which got him killed. "Don't they know who I am?" I laugh in machine gun fire.

Inasmuch as i respect the dead, i will not subscribe to the feeling of being above the law among the elites. This will definitely serve as a lesson to those who feel they are above the laws.

May his soul rest in perfect peace. It is quite unfortunate he killed himself by thinking he was above the soldiers who were out on a mission.

What a sad day for the pastor. My sympathy goes to those he left behind.

That was indeed a fatal way to realize that it's foolhardy to want to drive through a cordon of armed men.

bulksms247:

It makes no sense, seems like a well planned muder to me. Is it the first time [/b]he is coming to the government house?. Didn't the soldiers see his [b]plate number?

What was his plate number? Does this mean anything as much as identifying himself and his mission at the government house in a tensed environment like Kaduna?

Do you know about security at all? So it must be the same set of soldiers who must have memorized his face and plate number that will always be there?

Where is the murder here? Do you still think that this does not make sense?

velo10:

The trigger happy soldiers simply felt like abusing their shoot on sight orders on someone who they didn't like. Justice must prevail. Let the soldiers pay for the madness

Isn't this presumptuous? Can you prove it? Was the man not driving off before he was shot? Don't expect anything to happen to those soldiers.

Why can I just stick to the story that he refused to stop that
Why he was shot. Why did I kept thinking that he was shot out not accidentally but deliberately? He is a director of finance (so directly related to money,large amount of money) what he driving himself or was driven by a driver? He was driving himself sounds fishy, how can a Director be driving himself and if he was driven by a driver what happened to the driver? He is a Pastor and winners for that matter, with the so many attacks on Winners chapel so far, it is only reasonable that he should be very security conscious and not flouting simple security precautions. Well my conclusion is that he was deliberately shot,am no conspiracy theorist but I refused to believe that the shooting was accidental.

Most of the big petencostal churches viz Redeemed,Winners,Christ Embassy etc have security checks and bomb detectors to scan individuals and cars during their services. I was in church recently in Abuja when the pastor said nobody is exempted from the check including himself. So with all this simple security procedure why would the Director/Pastor flout this simple procedure, its not just adding up at all. I leave you all to your imaginations on the wickedness of men.

This whole incident should be investigated; let us know what really happened.

Who knows? He might have been pressed and was rushing to the toilet If not I can't imagine what he could have been thinking being aware of what's hapening in the country now.

It is unfortunate that the victim didn't survive to tell his own side of the story.I say this because I am finding it difficult to believe that the late Pastor tried to beat the security. Few questions are: who opened the gate for him?Did the fellow not talk to him as he or she was opening the gate? Asking this question arises because it will be wrong to completely write off that the poor victim may innocently have continued after talking to one person while another 'drunkun' triger happy partner coming out from behind opens fire, I am not saying that this was actually what haopened but look at this scenerio, A mobile police man who is attacthed to a deputy governor was just joyously telling how he drank over '10' bottles of beer on Saturday and that 'his Oga'the deputy governor didn't even know that he wasn't 'seeing' where they were going.Now,can you trust such fellow's sense of judgement? Let us not give it all against the Pastor, HE MAY BE INNOCENT

maddock:

Why can I just stick to the story that he refused to stop that
Why he was shot. Why did I kept thinking that he was shot out not accidentally but deliberately? He is a director of finance (so directly related to money,large amount of money) what he driving himself or was driven by a driver? He was driving himself sounds fishy, how can a Director be driving himself and if he was driven by a driver what happened to the driver? He is a Pastor and winners for that matter, with the so many attacks on Winners chapel so far, it is only reasonable that he should be very security conscious and not flouting simple security precautions. Well my conclusion is that he was deliberately shot,am no conspiracy theorist but I refused to believe that the shooting was accidental.

Don't you think that these highlighted issues are contradictory?

nice4life:

[size=13pt]Mr. Kiforo, who was also a pastor at the Living Faith Church in Kaduna[/size], died in the Brigadier General A.A. Abubakar Ward in the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna (popularly known as “44 Hospital”).

[size=13pt]Make una no vex, e don tey I go church. Is Living Faith Church not the same as Winners Chapel? [/size]

Am ready from ma phone so can't really see what you highlighted.

The story I read from another source says other wise. It is not uncommon for the government to cover up the mischief and mistakes of its security officers. I have seen it happen a lot of times. We all know our African Police Officers always sell after the market. It is easy for Boko Haram strikers to hit several targets undetected. However it is easier for the security officers to pin the wrong persons and have them pay the price of their incompetence. It’s totally insensitive to read jubilant posts on Pastor Kiforo death. That is when they know he is innocent. That is the same mentality Boko Haram possesses. They want the entire country to become a Muslim state and justify that by spilling innocent blood. It’s easy to mock at the demise of Pastor Kiforo because he is not family. From the story I read on Vanguard, he was shot while out of the car. Common sense tells me if he actually sped pass security, they would have fired at his car, probably hitting the tires and screen. However his car was met whole by journalists before the government carried it to an undisclosed location. They could be several scenarios to this. It’s probable the security officers were distracted, probably drinking "Ogogoro", and when they noticed a car had entered had to do their worse. I know the way some of these over zealous illiterate officers behave. I have experienced them first hand. I express my sincere condolences to Pastor Kiforos family.



[b]This report  says other wise. Read at what I got from http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/02/boko-haram-scare-at-govt-house-kaduna/ 

Around 12 noon last Monday, rumours spread fast in Kaduna that a suicide bomber had forced his way into Kaduna State Government House (Sir Ibrahim Kashim House), Kawo, and that there had been an exchange of fire between him and security personnel guarding the place before he was captured.

There was palpable anxiety in Kaduna that afternoon, after a daring suicide bomb attempt at a Military formation in the town was foiled just a week before.

In less than 15 minutes, Sunday Vanguard discovered a bevy of harsh Soldiers and Mobil Policemen who had cordon off the road leading to the gate of the official abode and office of Kaduna State Governor,  500 metres away that Monday.

About 50 metres away where the soldiers had blocked, was the gate of 44 Army Referral Hospital. Even those who claimed they wanted to visit the hospital as patients were denied passage by the unusually agitated security men. Many VIPs who had appointments at Sir Ibrahim Kashim House were not allowed any passage.


*Late Pastor Isuwa Kiforo

Soon, media men in a 20-seater bus of the Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ) Kaduna Council, arrived around 12:30pm. At that point, a soldier was seen on the other side of the road using the bayonet of his gun ripping off the tyres of a red Honda car – the driver had carrying out instructions to turn and beat a retreat. The soldiers in particular were so worked-up to give credit to the claims that there was a suicide bomber in Sir Ibrahim Kashim House.

Even reporters were not welcomed.

“We were invited to come and see the car that the suicide bomber used”, Isaiah Benjamin of Leadership Newspaper informed them.

“Government House is part of our daily routine, and we need to see what has happened”, he told the soldiers.

“Look my friends, respect yourselves and go away-o!”, an Army Lance Corporal whose name could not be made out warned.

“Nobody told us that any Journalist is coming. Tell the Governor to inform us to allow you in. Our order is to keep everyone away”, he said.

There was an argument; then a Mobile Policeman intervened.

In the end, it was agreed that the NUJ bus be parked by the side of the road, pending confirmation that Journalists could go and see the car that the suicide bomber used and the explosives in the car.

Soon a kind of banter ensued between a soldier and some Journalists.

“This country is hard to understand”, he said.

“This Boko Haram, na big, big men dey inside”, he said.

“This man wey do dis thing, na Director for ministry”, he said.

He went on to say that a man came to the gate of government House; that he refused to be searched, rammed his car against the gate, forced it open and started speeding into the Government House. He said that a team of Soldiers, State Security Service and Mobile Police opened fire on the car, demobilising it just as the man made it to the exit gate used by the governor.

“The man came out and we were shooting. But the bullet no enter him body. He get medicine, that day remove dey throw at us. When dey medicine finish. We got him on his legs. His car get bomb inside”, he told the reporters listening with mouths agape.

“The man dey for here”, pointing at the 44 Army Referral Hospital.

“The car dey inside. I just pray they allow you inside. You will see wonders”, he said.

All around, the story was repeated by every Policeman or soldier approached for a brief. They were unusually cooperative with this story but, of course, pleading that no one quoted them.

After about twenty minutes, the Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Mallam Mohammed Bala Nasarawa, arrived the road block with his convoy, sirens wailing. Some reporters made for his car, hoping he would make a case for them to be allowed in. But he did not as much as even wind down the tinted window of his car to acknowledged anyone’s presence. The obstacles were promptly cleared for him and he sped to the gate, said to have been damaged by the suicide bomber.

The Press left after waiting in vain for over an hour.

Six hours after stories had been filed and sent, the Police Commissioner assembled a few journalists in his office and read a statement, that later became very inconsistent with the “scoop” the Press was fed with at the road block.

Said Nasarawa: “At about 13:28 hrs, a combined team of security personnel attached to Government House main gate, Kaduna, intercepted a Toyota Corolla Saloon car, maroon in colour with Kaduna State Government official Reg. No Kaduna,KD-06-A 04.

“The driver drove dangerously in a suspicious manner towards the Government House gate. The security personnel stopped the lone occupant, but instead of stopping, he forced himself through the exit gate and found his way into the government house.

“The security agencies thereafter, opened fire and shot the suspect on the leg and lower abdominal part of his body. The suspect was later identified as Pastor Isuwa Kiforo ‘M’ of No.7 Abba Rimi, Narayi Kaduna, who is the Director Finance and Administration, Ministry of Information, Kaduna State.

“He was rushed to 44 Army Reference Hospital Kaduna for treatment, after he was given first aid by a team of medical personnel attached to the Government House. The vehicle was thoroughly searched in my presence by our Anti-Bomb disposal experts and nothing incriminating was recovered. In essence neither weapon nor explosives were found in it” he had said.

Many who claimed to know the man rejected the claims of the Police boss. They vouched for the integrity of “the man-of-God” saying, something went awry which Nasarawa was hiding.

Kiforo’s wife of 25 years, Mrs Charity Kiforo and mother of his five children, strongly disputed the statement of Nasarawa.

Speaking exclusively to Sunday Vanguard, at the heavily guarded 44 Army Referral Hospital, Kaduna where Kiforo was being treated yesterday, she said that her husband had undergone an operation, in which several bullets were removed from his legs and  abdomen, largely on her family expenses, though he was brought there by government.

She said: “I have never known my husband to have problems with the law. He has never even been to a police station because of his conduct. He is a Minister of the Living Faith Church, Kakuri, and is a very senior government staff. He goes to the Government House several times, and is well known at the gate and most of the staff at the Government House knows him. I am still wondering why he had to be so shot like a man engaged in exchange of gun fire with the Army and Police.

“I was told that even after they brought him down, they drove an armour tank and pointed its big gun on him when  he lay unconscious, bleeding.

“There must have been a huge error on the part of the security personnel there.  As you can see, since morning several pastors both from our church and from other churches have been trooping here, expressing shock at what happened. My husband would never hurt anyone, and I have never known him to break the law, even when he was a younger man. We are going to look for ways to find out what led them to almost kill him.

If you look at his car, from what I am told, there was no where it showed that he banged on any thing. There is no dent on the car. They did not shoot him in the car; because there is no bullet hole in the car. He was allowed to enter through the main gate, as they usually do after he identified himself, being someone they know very well.

Why he was made to stop and made to come out of the car and was so brutally shot with only his phone in his hand, is something I want to consider as grave error on the part of the security people there. They have caused us so much pain and anguish.

“We are saddled with the medical bills now, but believing God that he would provide more for us, and that my husband will come out and tell the world what really happened”, she said.

The car was removed and taken to an undisclosed location. It was not at any of the Police Stations in Kaduna after frantic searches by Sunday Vanguard.
[/b]