Mass burials have been held for over 85 victims of the Nigerian Army‘s inadvertent bombardment on Sunday at Tudun Biri in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff, expressed his sympathies to the dead families during his Tuesday visit to the village
According to Gistlover, the Kaduna State Government stated that the Nigerian Army took credit for the bombing on Tudun Biri in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Sunday, which resulted in the deaths of at least 85 civilians.
The COAS met with the Dangaladima Zazau, the District Head of Rigasa, in the company of Principal Staff Officers from Army Headquarters and the General Officer Commanding 1 Division.
In a tearful speech, the COAS apologized and called the incident “a very disheartening occurrence.”
Speaking further, Lagbaja said that until the Nigerian Army began conducting operations to sanitize the area and make it habitable, the general Tudun Biri and surrounding villages were plagued by bandits who terrorized the locals.
He made the point that, before to the drone strike, the soldiers were conducting overhead patrols when they noticed a group of people and incorrectly assessed and misunderstood their behavior pattern as being similar to that of the robbers.
According to the COAS, he traveled to Tudun Biri to see the scene of the accident firsthand and to express to the District Head, the community, the government, and the people of Kaduna State the Nigerian Army’s heartfelt condolences and unconditional apologies.
He revealed that he had ordered a comprehensive investigation into the event to determine and pinpoint the areas of weakness that resulted in the unintentional catastrophe. He also added that the investigation’s findings and overall conclusion will direct the NA in methodically and competently looking for and implementing long-term fixes to identified gaps and deficiencies in both the artificial intelligence and human variables that will prevent future recurrence.
Lagbaja gave N10 million to the victims’ survivors at the Barau Dikko Specialists Hospital.
