81 Civilians Killed, 70 Others Injured In Kaduna Bombing – DHQ Confirms

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said 81 persons have died and 70 others were injured in the recent drone strike in Tudun Biri village in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, made this known while addressing journalists at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, on Thursday.

While expressing regret for the accidental attack, the DHQ said the figures were obtained from the leader of the community and the doctor where the injured victims are being treated.

Buba also said that 81 persons have been buried and 70 people injured in the sad incident are receiving treatment in the hospital.

He said troops within the week under review neutralised 80 terrorists, arrested 304 terrorists and rescued 44 hostages, adding that the troops also arrested 152 suspected oil thieves and seized stolen products worth N347.17 million.

He said, “Now, about the casualties, we heard from the leader of the community and the figure that he gave was close to 80. That is what he said. We can play the clip so you can listen to what he said. He said close to 80.

“That’s the figure of casualties that were buried. As for those who received treatment in the hospital, I recall the interview with the doctor and he said 71 after which one person died, making it 70. So we can say 81 killed and 70 receiving treatment.”

The DHQ spokesman also denied claims that the lack of synergy between the services in the military led to the mishap in Kaduna State.

According to Buba, a strong synergy exists between the Nigerian Navy, Air Force, and Army.

He said: “Our operations in the country are joint, meaning that we are operating in a joint environment where you have the army, the Navy, and the Air Force. When we talk of cooperation, we have not had it better than this.”

Buba said the military has learnt from the incident and was working towards improving its operational capabilities to avert such situations in the future.

He said, “When we talk about the incident that happened, I can assure you that the military learns from its experiences and will continue to make improvements as we go along.

“It is an incident that has happened, and as I mentioned in my brief, we are determined to deal with it squarely. There will be a need for protocols, there will be a need for processes to be improved upon.

“And this I assure you, we will put in place to ensure that in future we have near to zero occurrences. ”

Buba condemned attempts to give the mishap a religious and ethnic colouration.

He added, “The Armed Forces of Nigeria is a professional force. And within our ranks and files, we have members from every part of this country.

“So whatever group is coming up and saying whatever calculations that they have imagined in their minds, I can tell you that it is faulty, it is in error, and it is unpatriotic.

“At this time, when we are at war, it is not just the military that is at war. The whole country is at war. And that is why I have severally said on this platform that there are more people who know something than those that see and therefore know something, say something, and let us, the military, do something about it.”