Kaduna governor, Senator Uba Sani, has reacted to an allegation of religious war and ethnic cleansing in the state following the killing of over 90 persons during a military airstrike.
Sheikh Ahmad Gumi’s and other notable persons had accused the Army of “deliberately” killing the villagers saying the air bombardment was “not a mistake”.
But in an interview with ChannelsTV on Friday, Governor Sani said there is no religious or ethnic cleansing in the state following the accidental bombing of Tudun Biri village in Igabi Local Government Area by the Nigerian Army.
“Let me make it clear (that) in Kaduna State, we don’t have any religious or ethnic differences,” the governor said.
“At the beginning, a lot of people particularly the religious and ethnic merchants, I’m not surprised if some of them decided to make this issue look like it’s a religious issue. As governor of Kaduna State, we are working together as a team in religious harmony.”
According to the governor, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) led a delegation to the Kaduna State Government House to commiserate with the state government and the Tudun Biri village in Igabi Local Government Area over the unfortunate incident.
Sunday’s tragic incident has received condemnation from local and international watchdogs, all calling for investigations and a standardised review of procedural activities.
The Nigerian Air Force was quick to absolve itself of responsibility for the incident but the Nigerian Army had claimed responsibility for the accidental bombing.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, during his visit, apologised to the community over the matter, promising to halt a repeat of such an incident.
