Kaduna village bombing: Death toll rises to 120; villagers claim military carried out two bombings
•A family loses thirty-two members; survivors, ACF, and JNI notify the military of the offenders’ punishment.
•Tinubu and Atiku grieve; the army head begs victims and claims that soldiers mistaken people for bandits.
The Nigerian Army attacked Tudun Biri twice, according to survivors of the unintentional bombing that occurred there on Tuesday in Kaduna State’s Igabi Local Government Area.
Additionally, it was learned that the number of fatalities from the incident had risen to 120 after Amnesty International representatives visited the impacted areas and verified the new figure.
During a religious event at Tudun Biri on Sunday night, civilians were inadvertently hit by an airstrike meant to eliminate militants.
Even though the Army took credit for the disaster, the National Emergency Management Agency reported on Monday night that 85 people had died and another 66 had been injured.
However, the Arewa Consultative Forum, a pan-Northern political and cultural body, and Jama’tu Nasril Islam condemned the unintentional blast on Tuesday even more, stating that anyone found guilty ought to face consequences.
Both former vice president Atiku Abubakar and president Bola Tinubu expressed their condolences for the bombing victims. Survivors of the bombing described their experiences while the country grieved for the dead. According to 45-year-old Saudatu Alamagani, the neighborhood was bombarded twice.
Alamagani, who barely spared death in the attack, said that the event began at around 10 p.m. when a huge number of Muslims celebrating Muhammad’s birthday, Maulud, were blasted, like to a scene from a Nollywood film.
She claimed that “the military started raining bombs on us” during the Maulud celebrations, and that initially, the worshippers thought their assailants were bandits.
She claimed that dead bodies were strewn “everywhere” as people scrambled for cover.
She claimed that the military bombarded the hamlet once more while locals looked for motorbike riders to transport the seriously injured to the closest hospitals for treatment.
In order to lessen the impact of the bombing, Saudatu pleaded with the government to support the community’s members, particularly the relatives of the slain.
Our correspondents were informed by Sulaiman Umar, a 60-year-old survivor, that the community had been attacked twice.
“I was eating that night when we were bombed,” he said. Numerous people lost their lives. Some of our kids had their intestines removed, so we had trouble identifying them.
They twice blasted us. They returned to bomb us once again after the initial round.
“I escaped into a dense forest, where I slept until dawn. We draped leaves on the deceased. We divided the males and females into different groups and covered them with leaves.
120 fatalities
Providing an update on the terrible event, Amnesty International’s country director, Isah Sanusi, stated that the organization’s representatives were present in the impacted areas and had counted more than 120 victims of the explosion.
“I can confirm to you that there are currently over 120 casualties in the affected areas,” he said.
He insisted that the number of casualties was larger than what NEMA reported, explaining that there were at least 77 victims buried in each of the mass graves.
“At least 77 dead bodies were found in each of the mass graves, according to our contact who witnessed the mass burial. He added, “There were seventeen more people from nearby villages who also perished in the horrible occurrence.
However, when called on Tuesday, NEMA Chief Information Officer for Kaduna State, Halima Suleman, informed one of our correspondents that the agency had not updated the 85-person casualty count that it had announced on Monday.
However, she said that NEMA was helping the impacted areas by transporting some of the injured people to hospitals and giving others relief supplies.
Naturally, because our officials are currently present in the villages, we are intervening there. They offered spiritual support, relief supplies, and transported a few people to hospitals, the woman said.
However, a comprehensive inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the military bombing was demanded by the Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar ll-led Jama’atu Nasril Islam and the pan-Northern socio-political organization ACF.
Separately responding to the event, the ACF called it “horrific” and stated that it deeply troubled the northern organization that an operation of that nature could be planned and carried out in the densely populated area, “suggesting an inexcusable, scandalous and plausibly incompetent failure of intelligence.”
The forum expressed sympathy to the state government and the relatives of the fatalities in a statement released on Tuesday by Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, National Publicity Secretary. The forum prayed that “God grant the dead peace.”
The forum stated that steps needed to be taken to prevent such “avoidable” losses of life and property in the future, and that communities in the Northern states had already had enough hardships due to banditry and shouldn’t have to endure any more suffering.
In order to ascertain the precise events of the incident, the ACF consequently demanded an apology from the Nigerian Army in addition to a full, open, honest, and thorough investigation.
The ACF states that everyone found guilty of operational or professional ineptitude would face harsh punishment that will be made clear to them.
It further stated that the impacted community members must be fully included in the probe and not be coerced into being silent about the graphic details of their losses.
It should be emphasized that, rather than the Nigerian Army members who carried out the incident, the Kaduna State Government has an obligation to act in the best interests of the victims.
The deceased shall receive full recompense in line with the present Islamic diya value assigned to each individual life. The statement went on, “The injured must not only receive full treatment at no cost to them, but they must also receive rehabilitation upon full recovery and full compensation for lost wages and means of subsistence while pursuing a full recovery.”
In a statement, the JNI’s Secretary-General, Prof. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, reaffirmed the organization’s dedication to pursuing justice for the relatives of the victims. The statement stated in part, “At Tudun Biri village in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, during a Maulud celebration, as was reported, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, representing the collective voice of the Ummah, stands in profound consternation and grief.” Thus, it is with heavy hearts that we offer the relatives and loved ones of the departed victims our sincere condolences and sympathies. We also ardently hope for the quick recovery and healing of those who have been hurt.
“JNI consequently demands an exhaustive, unbiased, and transparent investigation into the facts behind the sad and most regrettable accident and forcefully condemns this tragic incident in its entirety. We implore the authorities to make sure that the relevant parties are prosecuted in line with the current legal framework.
Tinubu expresses sorrow Tinubu expressed outrage and sorrow for the terrible death toll from the Nigerian Army’s unintentional bombardment of residents in Kaduna State, calling it “very unfortunate, disturbing, and painful.” He did this out of sympathy for the victims’ relatives, the people, and the Kaduna State government.
President Tinubu expressed his sorrow in a statement headed “President Tinubu condoles with Kaduna State Government, families of victims over bombing mishap,” which was signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.
Tinubu urged composure while overseeing an exhaustive and comprehensive probe. In addition, as he prayed for the deceased’s spirits to rest, he oversaw the prompt and thorough medical treatment of the survivors.
Former vice president and presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, lamented the deaths and warned that the frequency of erroneous airstrikes was becoming concerning in the nation.
In an X post on Tuesday, Atiku expressed his grief over the news of the drone strike that killed dozens of people and injured numerous others in varying degrees in the Tudun Biri community in Kaduna State’s Igabi Local Government Area.
The sad incident’s victims were, ironically, commemorating the Maulud anniversary. Muhammadu Yahaya, the governor of Gombe State and chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, sent the families of the Maulud celebrants his sincere condolences and words of profound sadness.
Yahaya expressed his sympathies to the Kaduna State government and people on Tuesday, calling the loss of innocent lives a tragic event. In order to avoid such tragic mishaps, the governor emphasized that although combating terrorism and banditry was still vital, “it must be executed with the highest level of professionalism and care.”
Auwal Rafsanjani, the chairman of Transparency International, stated that sanctions had to be applied to all security services implicated in the bombings. He criticized security agencies for their poor collection and dissemination of intelligence.
He went on to say that the police, the Department of State Services, and other pertinent intelligence agencies should ideally be in charge of identifying members of terrorist organizations rather than the military, pointing out that some of these agencies were woefully underfunded by the government.
Olawale Okunniyi, the head of the United Action Front for Civil Societies’ National Coordinating Secretariat, added that the military had to be reorganized and reshaped to function on the side and in the interests of the general populace. It’s a regrettable occurrence. Our armed forces ought to be more revolutionary than conservative. However, they are not on the side of the people right now because they are reactionary. They must modernize. We believe they need to get better,” he remarked.
Debo Adeniran, the Chairman of the Center for Accountability and Open Leadership, expressed regret for the mistakes made by the military but insisted that those who are liable should face consequences to serve as a warning to others.
DHQ Panel
On Tuesday, the Defense Headquarters’ military high command announced that it would be looking into the unintentional bombing and that a panel would be formed for this purpose. In response to a question from one of our correspondents, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, stated that the incident would be looked into by the military. He indicated that a commission would be formed to investigate the situation and that information would be shared.
“Yes, the military will investigate the incident,” Buba stated. Please be advised that the specifics will be shared as soon as the panel is assembled. The Chief of Army Staff’s on-the-spot evaluation, according to Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, would help him put together the proper people for the panel.
“The COAS would be able to gain insight into the expertise that would be required to carry out the inquiry,” he stated, referring to his recent visit to the scene of the incident. This will assist in directing us regarding the types of people who should be on that panel. Regarding the duration of the investigation, I am unable to comment.