Northern Elders Forum leader says heads should roll over accidental Kaduna bombing

PAN-cultural group the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has called for the resignation of Nigeria's military top brass over the botched bombing raid that killed 85 villagers at Tudun Biri in Kaduna State over the weekend.

On Sunday, the Nigerian Army accidentally bombed the village Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing dozens and wounding many more when it was mistaken for a terrorist hideout. Nef leader Professor Usman Yusuf, said those responsible for the blunder should be relieved of their positions.

Professor Yusuf said: “This is irresponsible. They should all resign or everybody in the chain of command should be fired. The chief of defence staff , the chief of army staff, the GOC and the operatives - heads must roll.”

He added that in other climes, all military chiefs would have tendered their resignation letters over the accident, which has thrown the country into mourning. Professor Yusuf lamented the fact that the military, which ought to protect Nigerians against external threats, was killing the people.

Meanwhile, both the chief of defence staff General Christopher Musa and the chief of army staff Lt General Taoreed Lagbaja visited the deceased victims’ families and also paid visits to the  injured ones in hospitals in Kaduna yesterday. They described the accident as regrettable and apologised to the people of the state, promising them that such an accident would not recur again.

However, Professor Yusuf said the army cannot investigate itself and there should be a high-powered, independent committee headed by a retired chief justice of Nigeria set up. He added that foreign countries would be hesitant about selling arms to the Nigerian military when they are dropping them on her own people.

Nigerian Army leaders have taken responsibility for the accident, saying terrorists sometimes embed themselves amongst civilians. Nigeria’s armed forces often rely on airstrikes in their battle against so-called bandits and terrorists but they have not been without controversies, accidental bombings and alleged miscalculations, with innocent Nigerians, including soldiers becoming casualties.

On January 24 this year, the Nigeria Air Force (Naf) took responsibility over a fatal airstrike on Kwatiri, a Nasarawa village in which least 39 persons were killed and six others injured. In 2021, 20 soldiers were killed in Mainok, Borno State, when a Naf fighter jet responding to attacks on a military camp by Boko Haram insurgents bombed the wrong location.