Teenager shoots friend dead with father’s dane gun in Suleja, vigilante dad arrested

A moment of playful curiosity has turned fatal in Niger State after a 16-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his 15-year-old friend with a loaded dane gun belonging to his father — a vigilante operative who faces charges of negligence for leaving the firearm within reach of minors.

The incident occurred on March 1, 2026, at approximately 6 p.m., when Emmanuel Danladi, 16, of Kwamba, Suleja, was playing with his friend, Titus Joseph, 15, at their home. During the course of their play, Emmanuel picked up a loaded dane gun belonging to his father, Danladi Baba, 51, a member of a local vigilante group in Suleja, and shot Titus at close range in the stomach, leading to his death.

Police operatives from the Maje Division responded swiftly to the scene. The victim’s body was conveyed to Suleja General Hospital, while Emmanuel and his father were subsequently arrested on suspicion of negligence and culpable homicide. The dane gun used in the incident was recovered as evidence.

Both suspects, along with the recovered weapon, were transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Minna for further investigation.

Confirming the incident, Niger State Police Command spokesman Wasiu Abiodun said the case remains under investigation pending prosecution. The father’s membership of the vigilante group, which afforded him access to a firearm, is central to the negligence allegation against him — raising broader questions about the responsibilities of community security operatives in securing their weapons from children.

The tragedy underscores a recurring pattern of accidental firearm deaths linked to unlicensed and improperly stored weapons across rural and semi-urban communities in Nigeria. Legal experts have consistently warned that the proliferation of dane guns among vigilante groups and hunters, without adequate storage protocols or safety training, poses significant risks to households — particularly to children who have little awareness of the dangers involved.

No date for prosecution has been announced by the state police command at the time of filing this report.