Following the bombing tragedy in Tudun Biri village, Igabi Local Government Area, Kaduna State, on Sunday that left 85 villagers dead and many more injured, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has called on the top military leadership to resign.
This desire was expressed by Prof. Usman Yusuf, a public affairs analyst and NEF member, in an interview that aired on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday.
Yusuf said, “This is irresponsible. They will all resign; everybody in the chain of command will be fired. The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) will go, and his trip will be cut and he’ll return home.”
He claims that in other areas, all military chiefs would have tendered their resignations in the wake of the tragedy that has rocked the country.
He lamented the fact that the military was hurting civilians rather than protecting Nigerians from foreign dangers, which is its main duty.
The member of the NEF emphasized that “All of them should step down—the CDS, the Chief of Army Staff, the GOC, the operatives; heads must roll.”
On Tuesday, the families of the deceased and injured were visited by Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), and General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), in Kaduna hospitals.
The two senior military officers apologised to the state’s citizens for the occurrence and conveyed their condolences, promising that such a horrible event would never occur again.
Nigerian Army Takes Responsibility for Deadly Air Strike in Kaduna
In addition, Tinubu expressed his sympathies to the people of the state and demanded that the disaster be looked into.
However, Yusuf said, “The Army cannot investigate itself; there should be a high-powered, independent committee headed by a retired CJN (Chief Justice of Nigeria), and in there, there should be a service chief.”
He said that because of worries that the weapons will be used against their own citizens, other countries could be hesitant to supply the Nigerian military with arms.
The Nigerian Air Force first denied any involvement in the recent unintentional airstrike on Sunday, but the Kaduna State Government subsequently revealed that the Army had acknowledged the error on Tuesday.
The event was ascribed by the Army to the difficulty terrorists face in blending in with civilian populations.
The Nigerian military often uses airstrikes to combat terrorists and robbers.
See Video Of 39 Missing Kaduna Students Being Flogged By Bandits (Video)
But these airstrikes have been marred by controversy, accidental blasts, and purported mistakes, killing soldiers and innocent people in the process.
Remarkably, the NAF accepted accountability in 2023 for a deadly airstrike that occurred in Kwatiri, Nasarawa, resulting in 39 fatalities and six injuries.
Based on false coordinates, a NAF airstrike in response to a Boko Haram attack on a military camp in Mainok, Borno State, in 2021 is said to have killed roughly 20 soldiers.
Bola Tinubu appointed a new set of service chiefs in June, just three weeks after assuming the role of Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces.
Remarkably, the NAF accepted accountability in 2023 for a deadly airstrike that occurred in Kwatiri, Nasarawa, resulting in 39 fatalities and six injuries.
UPDATE: Again, Bandits Kill Four In Kaduna
Based on false coordinates, a NAF airstrike in response to a Boko Haram attack on a military camp in Mainok, Borno State, in 2021 is said to have killed roughly 20 soldiers.
Three weeks after taking over as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Bola Tinubu named a new group of service chiefs in June.
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