Reps to monitor probe of military airstrike in Kaduna
Ummah Movement calls for judicial inquiry
The House of Representatives said it would monitor the investigation into the accidental military drone attack that led to the death of over 80 Nigerians in Kaduna State last week Sunday.
The chairman, House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, who gave the assurance in a statement issued yesterday, expressed sadness over the incident.
Expressing regret over the ugly incident, Benson tasked authorities of the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to prioritise the safety of civilians during operations and should exercise utmost caution, as well as implement measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
He said, “The unfortunate incident in Tudun Biri community, Kaduna State, has cast a sombre mood over the hearts of all Nigerians.
“The House of Representatives 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 airstrike.”
He stressed that the House Committee on Defence would closely monitor the investigations and work collaboratively with the military authorities to ensure that corrective measures were implemented to prevent the recurrence of such unfortunate incidents.
Meanwhile, The Ummah Movement, with headquarters at the National Islamic Centre (NIC),Dogarawa, Zaria, has commiserated with the victims of what it described as mass murder by the army of celebrants of Maulud at Tudun Biri village, Igabi Local Government, Kaduna State.
The movement, therefore, called for the federal government to institute a judicial inquiry and compensate the victims.
A statement signed by the national president of the group, Prof Muhammed Babangida stated, “We pray for Allah to have mercy on the souls of the deceased. We condemn in the strongest possible terms, the series of reckless decisions that culminated in this inexplicable loss of lives of innocent victims.
“We call on the federal and government to institute a full judicial inquiry into the circumstances that led to this latest disastrous drone attack: who supplied what intelligence? Why were clues that clearly showed that the crowd was not made up of bandits ignored in assessing the ‘intelligence’? Who ignored the Air Force advice against the attack? Who gave the final order to drop not just the first bomb but a second one that killed the hundreds of first responders? Both the federal government and the Kaduna State Government must commit to a long term plan to help families recover, pay compensation and look after orphans created.”