The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja has described the deadly airstrike that killed 85 people and injured several others in Kaduna State as regrettable.
Lagbaja, who visited the state on Tuesday, said the army under his leadership will guard against a recurrence of such tragedy in the conduct of military operations.
“My assessment of that unfortunate incident of Sunday, December 3, 2023, is that it is grave, regrettable. We will do everything possible to prevent such an occurrence from happening again in the conduct of our operations going forward,” he said about one of the country’s deadliest military bombing accidents.
“I have gone round to visit and interact with the members of the community. I have come again to the hospital to see the injured. This will help me to know the level of expertise I need to put on the table in conducting the inquiry into what happened.”
The army chief, who was accompanied by principal staff officers from the army headquarters and the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, also met with the Dangaladima Zazau, the District Head of Rigasa, Architect Aminu Idris, other leaders and members of the community.
The COAS stated that he was in Tudun Biri to see the site of the mishap, and to convey sincere regrets and unreserved apologies on behalf of the Nigerian Army to the District Head, people of the community, as well as the government, and the entire people of Kaduna State.
“Speaking further, Lagbaja noted that in the recent past, the general area of Tudun Biri and adjoining villages were infested with armed bandits, who terrorised the communities, until troops of the Nigerian Army started conducting operations to sanitize the area and make it habitable.
“He pointed out, that the troops were carrying out aerial patrols when they observed a group of people and wrongly analyzed and misinterpreted their pattern of activities to be similar to that of the bandits, before the drone strike.”
Lagbaja said that he has ordered a thorough inquiry into the incident to ascertain and identify areas of deficiency that led to the inadvertent disaster.
He assured that the findings of the investigation will guide the army in meticulously and professionally seeking and applying lasting solutions to identified lapses and deficiencies in both the human and artificial intelligence variables that will forestall future recurrence.
The District Head of Rigasa, Aminu Idris, in his remarks, said despite the enormity of the incident, the Nigerian Army showed integrity in accepting responsibility for the drone strike and urged its leadership to intervene in bringing succour to hospitalised victims and the community for their losses.
He maintained that the community is a mixed community of both Muslims and Christians and that the victims are of both faiths, contrary to earlier insinuation that the community is solely Muslim.”
While commiserating with the District Head, he made donations for the upkeep of the victims.
“Lagbaja also commiserated with the Chairman Jamaa’ atu Nasru Islam, Kaduna State Prof Shafiu Abdullahi and other clerics. The Chief of Army Staff equally visited affected victims at the Barua Dikko Teaching Hospital Anguwan Rimi, Kaduna, where he expressed concern for the speedy recuperation of the hospitalized persons and made an immediate donation of several provisions for their upkeep,” the statement added.
