The House of Representatives says it will monitor the investigation into the military drone attack that killed over 80 Nigerians in Kaduna State on November 3.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, gave the assurance in a statement titled “Tudun Biri tragedy elicits profound sorrow” in Abuja on Saturday.
He expressed regrets over the ugly incident while tasking the authorities of the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to prioritise the safety of civilians during operations.
According toBenson, “The unfortunate incident in Tudun Biri community, Kaduna state, has cast a sobre mood over the hearts of all Nigerians; the House Committee on Defence is profoundly saddened by this regrettable incident.
“The loss of innocent lives in this tragic incident is heartbreaking, and our thoughts and prayers are with the affected families.
“We would like to recognise the prompt admission of responsibility by the Nigerian Army following the accidental air strike”, he said.
Benson urged them to exercise the utmost caution and implement measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
The attack on Sunday night in Tudun Biri village of Kaduna state’s Igabi council area took place as Muslims gathered there to observe the holiday celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. Kaduna Governor Uba Sani said civilians were “mistakenly killed and many others were wounded” by a drone “targeting terrorists and bandits”.
The attack was the latest in recent errant bombings of residents in Nigeria’s troubled regions; between February 2014, when a Nigerian military aircraft dropped a bomb on Daglun in Borno state killing 20 civilians, and September 2022, there were at least 14 documented incidences of such bombings in residential areas.
