There is widespread condemnation following the tragic incident on Sunday in which a Nigerian Army airstrike mistakenly targeted civilians in the village of Tudun Biri, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The attack, which was reportedly aimed at suspected terrorists, resulted in the loss of over 85 lives.
The unfortunate incident occurred while villagers were gathered to celebrate Maulud, an Islamic event commemorating the birth of Prophet Muhammad.
In reaction to the incident, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the military’s responsibility for the airstrike. While the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) set the death toll at 85, Senator Shehu Sani, who first raised the alarm about the incident, said the true number of fatalities was closer to 150.
Sani wrote, “150 innocent civilians, including women & children, bombed to death by their own Army in Kaduna today.
“This is horrendous. It is mass murder & genocide & those behind it must be brought to justice.”
Bashir Ahmed, a former media aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, also reacted to the incident, expressing disbelief that such a grave error could have occurred.
Bashir wrote, “Haba! You can’t kill 126 innocent souls— a hundred and twenty-six civilians, and just call it a mistake. I can’t even remember a time when the troops killed such a number of terrorists anywhere in this country at once.
“@HQNigerianArmy Nigerians are waiting to hear from you how this ‘mistake’ will be corrected and what measures you’d put in place to prevent a recurrence”.
Security expert Mr. Akogwu John also expressed shock, questioning the military’s failure to conduct proper surveillance before launching the attack.
He said, “To me, there should be more to that story because I don’t understand how trained security operatives will go to a state where human beings occupy and just drop a bomb.
“The most annoying part is that they were not ready to own up. If not for the Kaduna Government that exposed them, they had already denied it. People you are meant to protect, you kill them because of negligence.
“Did they do a proper survey before dropping the bomb? What exactly made them think these innocent villagers are terrorists? This story is not clear yet.
“Don’t tell me that they don’t know where these terrorists are camping. They know and even if they claim that they don’t know, it is a failure on their part because they have the funds to do all that. Human lives no longer matter to some people.
“The best thing to do now is for the army to release the identity of those who carried out the operation. They should be thoroughly questioned and I bet you, something fishy may be involved.”
The incident has sparked outrage across the country, with many questioning the military’s competence in its fight against terrorists in Northern Nigeria.
