Kaduna bombing error – The bombing mistake by the Army at Tudun Biri in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, which resulted in the deaths of at least 100 people, will not have an impact on the fight against banditry and terrorism, according to Minister of State for Defense Dr. Mohammed Bello, Matawallen Maradun.
The residents were mistaken for bandits by the troops.
Kaduna bombing error
Leading a high-level delegation from the Federal Government, Bello addressed the victims during a condolence visit in Kaduna. Among those in attendance were Dr. Ibrahim Kana, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, and Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Musa.
The minister was speaking as the number of bombing fatalities increased to 127, the United Nations expressing sorrow over the tragic event, and a civil society organization called Building Blocks for Peace Foundation, or BBFORPEACE, called for a thorough overhaul of the country’s security framework.
Matawalle expressed the sympathies of the Federal Government to the victims of the terrible occurrence but stressed that the struggle against terrorism and insurgency must go on.
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“We are not going to relent in our fight against terrorism because these criminals must be defeated. We are going to continue fighting the criminals till we succeed against banditry and other criminalities in this country,” he said.
He said that President Bola Tinubu had given him the order to head a high-level delegation that would offer condolences to the good people and administration of Kaduna State regarding the tragic incident, as well as to the relatives of the victims—those who passed away and those who are undergoing medical attention.
As a result, the Minister went to the Government House in Kaduna as well as the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital in Kaduna, where injured victims were being treated.
The state administration was given assurances by the former governor of Zamfara that the federal government will support the relatives of the victims and establish a strong panel of inquiry to determine the cause of the disaster and prevent it from happening again.
In response, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, through his deputy Hadiza Balarabe, expressed sincere condolences to the impacted families and vowed to provide steadfast support to the families of the bereaved.
She stated that the victims could not be cared for by the state government alone and that they would want the assistance of the federal government as they awaited the panel of inquiry’s findings.
Despite the horrific incident, the state government has managed to keep everyone in the state in a state of calm.
“We have had engagement with clerics in the state to seek their support in talking with the affected communities for their understanding in order to douse the tension caused by this sad event,” she said.
127 people have died, and victims share their stories
In the meantime, it was learned yesterday that 127 people had died as a result of the tragedy.
While at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital in Kaduna, a few survivors of the drone strike on the community in Kaduna shared their experiences.
Hasiya Shuaibu, who lost all her male relatives, said: “I was not there when the incident happened but I had to rush to the village. In fact, all my relatives were there. The drone attack affected our children, our younger and elderly relatives. We have lost an entire generation. Government should come to our rescue.
“Government has not come to assist the village. With this happening, we pray they would assist the village and our remaining people. Although, for me and many others, it could be the end of our stay in the village because we lost all our breadwinners.”
Another victim, Malam Idris Yalo, said: “I’m traumatized. I couldn’t eat since then. While we are in hospital, one of our relatives affected by the drone attack died. He was buried on Tuesday.
“We thank the state government. They were kind to our people in the hospital. We were sleeping on the bare floor but they have now provided us with beds and mattresses. The commissioner just left, she brought food for us.
“Prior to now, we had 66 injured persons in the hospital but the figure has gone up. Seven additional victims were brought here, yesterday. The seven persons were taken to the Army 1 Division medical facility.
body parts found on surrounding trees
“Many other victims were not even found. Body parts were picked on nearby trees. My uncle is the Village Head, he told me 85 people died. But many were in pieces and cannot be counted.
“My mother’s younger sister was in pieces.
“After the first drone attack, our forest officer, Bashir, was speeding on his motorcycle to render help. Unfortunately, he and other rescuers were neutralised by the second drone attack about 30 minutes after. Those who went to the scene of attack might have seen the charred remains of his bike. He and his friend, Nasiru, are no more.”
Lamenting, Yahaya Ifira said: “Bandits have chased us from our village and we were taking refuge at Tudun Biri. Before this latest attack, the bandits were not able to attack Tudun Biri. The people fought them fiercely, but now that most of the able men had been neutralized, the bandits could be able to attack the village.”
