The Chief of Army Staff, (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, has paid a condolence visit to the Tudun Biri Community in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
A statement by the spokesman, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, says the Army Chief arrived in the community in the early hours of Tuesday, December 5, accompanied by principal staff officers from the Army Headquarters, and the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, where he met with Dangaladima Zazzau, the District Head of Rigasa, Architect Aminu Idris, and other leaders and members of the community.
The COAS, in an emotion-laden speech, expressed regrets for the unfortunate mishap, describing it as a very disheartening occurrence.
Speaking further, General Lagbaja, noted that in the recent past, the general area of Tudun Biri and adjoining villages were infested with bandits, who terrorised the communities, until troops of the Nigerian Army started conducting operations, to sanitise 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 analysed and misinterpreted their pattern of activities, to be similar to those of the bandits, before the drone strike.
The COAS said that he was in Tudun Biri, to personally witness the site of the mishap, and to convey sincere regrets and unreserved apologies, on behalf of the Nigerian Army, to the district head and people of the community, as well as the government and the entire people of Kaduna State.
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He disclosed that he has ordered a thorough inquiry into the incident, to ascertain and identify areas of deficiency, that led to the inadvertent disaster, adding that the findings and outcome of the investigation will guide the Army in meticulously, and professionally seeking, and applying lasting solutions, to identified lapses and deficiencies, in both human and artificial intelligence variables, that will forestall future recurrence.
The District Head of Rigasa, Architect Aminu Idris, said that 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 insinuations, that the community is solely Muslim.
General Lagbaja also commiserated with the Chairman, Jamaa’ atu Nasru Islam, Kaduna State, Professor Shafiu Abdullahi and other clerics.
The Chief of Army Staff equally visited the affected victims at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital in Anguwan Rimi, Kaduna, where he expressed concern for the speedy recuperation of the hospitalised persons, and made an immediate donation of several provisions for their upkeep.
(Editor: Ifeanyi Mark)
