The Acting Assistant Director Army Public Relations, 22 Armoured Brigade, Ilorin, Captain Stephen Nwankwo, confirmed the incident in a statement, noting it happened on October 11, 2025.
He said the tragedy caused a tense atmosphere, leaving barracks residents in shock as to the circumstances that could have led to such an incident.
The statement read: “The 22 Armoured Brigade, Nigerian Army (NA), is aware of the news in respect of its personnel, Lance Corporal Akenleye Femi, serving at 221 Battalion, Wawa Cantonment who is suspected to have killed his wife and com-mitted suicide. The tragic incident, which occurred on 11 October 2025 at Wawa Cantonment, Niger State, has caused a tensed atmosphere, leaving the barracks residents in shock as to the circumstances that could have led to such unfortunate incident.
“Lance Corporal Femi and his wife were suddenly found dead in their apartment at Block 15, Room 24, Corporals and Below Quarters, Wawa Cantonment. Prelimi-nary investigation revealed that the soldier was on duty within the Cantonment, and had sought permission from his superior to attend to personal needs and re-turn to duty. This followed the discovery of the dead bodies lying in their apart-ment,” he said.
Captain Nwankwo said the remains of the deceased have been preserved, and an in-depth investigation has commenced to ascertain the circumstances surround-ing the tragic incident.
“The NA deeply regrets this, while it commiserates with the family, colleagues, and friends of the deceased over the painful loss. The army also prays for the peaceful repose of their souls.
“The Commander 22 Armoured Brigade, Brigadier General Ezra Barkins, assures the general public that the circumstances that led to the sad incident will be thor-oughly investigated, and the outcome relayed to the general public accordingly.
“The NA anticipates maximum understanding and cooperation of the public as al-ways, assuring that the outcome of the investigation will not only be made public, but will be further scrutinised, and measures put in place to avoid future occur-rences,” he added.
