During a Muslim religious celebration on Sunday in Kaduna state, north-west Nigeria, a military drone mistakenly killed at least 85 civilians, as reported by the local emergency management authority. Governor Uba Sani acknowledged the civilian casualties, attributing them to the drone’s targeting of terrorists and bandits, although he did not provide a specific death toll.
The defence ministry labeled the incident as a “needless tragedy,” and Samuel Aruwa, a state official, quoted army officer Maj VU Okoro, who clarified that the Nigerian army, while on a routine mission against terrorists, inadvertently impacted members of the community.
In a statement on Tuesday, Defence spokesman Maj Gen Edward Buba defended the airstrike, citing credible intelligence about the presence of “terrorists” in the area. Governor Sani has initiated an investigation into the “tragic incident,” which occurred when villagers from Tundun Biri gathered for a religious festival on Sunday evening. A statement from the National Emergency Management Agency in Abuja reported that 85 bodies had been buried so far, with ongoing search efforts.
Also Read: Judge sacked over misconduct in divorce case
“The Northwest Zonal Office has received details from the local authorities that 85 dead bodies have so far been buried while search is still ongoing,” a statement from the National Emergency Management Agency in the federal capital, Abuja, said.
“It is worthy of note that the casualties ranged from children, women and the elderly.”
One man, who witnessed what happened, told the BBC, that there were two attacks.
“The aircraft dropped a bomb at the venue, it destroyed and killed our people including women and children,” he said.
“The second bomb was dropped on some of us who went to bring dead bodies of the victims of the first blast. We lost about 34 people in my family and we have 66 injured people in the hospital.”
A woman who saw the aftermath of the bombing told the BBC that bodies were strewn all over the place.
Also Read: Aftermath of floods in North Tongu: Schools being held under trees
“Some women died holding their babies, some of the babies survived while others died along with their mothers,” she said.
The Nigerian military has in the past been accused of causing civilian casualties while battling militia gangs, known locally as bandits, in the north-west of the country. The government has labelled the gangs “terrorists”.
In 2021, at least 20 fishermen were killed accidentally in a Nigerian fighter jet strike on a jihadist camp in north-east Nigeria.
Over 300 people have been killed since 2017 in accidental strikes by the Nigerian forces, a report by SB Morgen, a research firm, said.
