WE call on Nigerians, especially those directly involved in the sordid affair of the bombing of civilians to kindly allow an independent and professional investigation of the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Federal Government should team up with the Kaduna State Government to ensure that the truth around the tragedy is unlocked and appropriate measures taken to bring a satisfactory closure to it. In doing so, respected representatives of the media and civil society groups should be part of the investigative team.
Those who are inflaming passions to gratify their religious, ethnic, regional and other fancies should rein themselves in, at least, out of respect for the souls of the departed and their families. Noise-making and fishing in troubled waters are the last things we need at this moment.
Nigerians woke up to this tragedy on Tuesday, December 5, 2023. Villagers in Tudun Biri in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State were celebrating a Muslim festival when a combat drone operated by the Nigerian Army dropped a bomb ordnance on them, killing over 80 people and injuring scores more.
Ordinarily, this could qualify as collateral damage since the villagers were not a legitimate military target. The Army, along with other arms of the armed forces, are fighting bandits, terrorists and kidnappers who have infested ungoverned spaces all over the North, especially that part of the North-West.
What complicates matters is that the military has been involved in four previous episodes of civilian target bombings on January 1, 2017, April 2020, in September 2021 and January 2023. This paints an unpleasant picture which is capable of sowing the seeds of suspicion in some quarters.
The first collateral bombing in Rann, Borno State, near our border with Cameroon on January 17, 2017, claimed the lives of 115 people, with more than 100 injured. It took place in the camp of internally-displaced persons, IDPs, and the Nigerian Air Force admitted responsibility. Why would the military continue to hit civilian targets?
It could be due to any of many reasons. Terrorists and bandits are known to hide among civilian crowds and use them as human shields. When the military gets intelligence of terrorists gathering for attack, it is often difficult for it to distinguish terrorists from their human shields.
Secondly, system failure, including intelligence failure or personnel incompetence or poorly-maintained weaponry could come into play. So also could sabotage and others.
Let the investigation be professionally done and appropriate measures taken. Let there be adequate compensations. Those who hide terrorists are exposing themselves to danger. The military must be more careful and stop killing innocent civilians.
Their work is not easy, but it must be done. We must continue to support the military to restore security in Nigeria.
SOURCE: VANGUARD
