COAS Lagbaja Apologises For Army’s Airstrikes On Kaduna Villagers, Visits Victims

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, has apologised to the victims of airstrikes at Tudun Biri community in Igabi local government area of Kaduna State and pledged to provide succour to survivors of the unintended attack.

The Army Chief arrived the community on Tuesday, where he met with the Dangaladiman Zazzau and District Head of Rigasa, Architect Aminu Idris, other leaders and members of the community.

A statement by the director of Army Public Relations, Brig-Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, said the COAS expressed regrets on the unfortunate mishap, describing it as a very disheartening occurrence.

Gen. Lagbaja explained 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 sanitise the area and make it habitable.

He added that the troops were carrying out aeriel patrols when they observed a group of people and wrongly analysed and misinterpreted their pattern of activities to be similar to that of the bandits before the air attack.

The Army Chief said he was in Tudun Biri to personally see 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 entire people of Kaduna State.

He disclosed that he had 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 overarching 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, Aminu Idris, 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 stated that the community is a mixed community of both Muslims and Christians and that the victims are of both faith, contrary to earlier insinuation that the community is solely dominated by Muslims.

General Lagbaja also commiserated with the State chairman of Jamaa’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Prof.
Shafiu Abdullahi, and other clerics.

The Chief of Army Staff equally visited affected victims at the Barua Dikko Teaching Hospital in Unguwan Rimi area of Kaduna metropolis, where he expressed concern for the speedy recuperation of the hospitalised persons and made an immediate donation of several provisions for their upkeep.