The Nigerian Army has arrested five men after a stray bullet from celebratory gunfire killed a 14-year-old girl during a wedding ceremony in Maiduguri, Borno State.

The incident occurred at Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Teachers Staff Quarters, where a wedding party was underway. Members of a vigilante escort team attached to a Local Government Area chairman allegedly began firing shots into the air in celebration, sending panic through the neighbourhood and, according to the military, fatally wounding the teenager inside her family home at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital quarters.

Witnesses said the girl was in the house when the bullet tore through, bringing the festivities to an abrupt halt and drawing anger from residents already wary of firearms in a region long scarred by insurgency.

The Theatre Command of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation Hadin Kai, said troops moved quickly after reports of the shooting. Working with the Civilian Joint Task Force, soldiers traced the alleged shooters to the Ngomari general area on the outskirts of Maiduguri.

Media Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, confirmed that five suspects were arrested in connection with the unlawful use of firearms at the wedding. They were identified as Muhammad Husaini, 28, Abba Jiddu, 25, Abba Kolo Mohammed, 20, Ali Adam, 20, and Nura Mohammed, 18.

According to the statement, the suspects are believed to be part of an escort team that turned the wedding into a scene of reckless gunfire, in violation of standing directives against indiscriminate shooting in civilian areas.

Lieutenant Colonel Uba said the men are in military custody and will be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further investigation and prosecution. He stressed that security personnel and vigilante groups are expected to adhere strictly to rules governing the handling of weapons, particularly in populated communities.

The killing has reignited debate in Maiduguri over the use of firearms at social events and the conduct of armed escorts. Residents and rights advocates are calling for stricter enforcement of existing regulations and for those responsible for the girl’s death to face the full weight of the law.