Lagos, Dec. 5, 2023 – Peter Obi, the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, says the bombing of villagers of Tudun Biri in Kaduna State by the Nigerian Army was regrettable and a national embarrassment.
Obi expressed his displeasure over the incident in a statement via his official X ,former Twitter, handle on Tuesday.
While commiserating with the families of the victims, he advised the military to exercise utmost caution and professionalism in future so as to avoid this kind of embarrassment to the military and the country.
“I read with sadness, the devastating reports of the accidental bombing of Tudun Biri Village in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, by a Nigerian Army craft that mistook the villagers for terrorists.
“The lethal incident left death tolls reported to have risen to 80, with several others injured. While our military continues to fight impressively against insecurity in many parts of the country, they must exercise utmost caution and professionalism to avoid this kind of embarrassment to both the military and the country.
“Any incident that leads to harm or the loss of lives of the innocent people they are meant to protect should be avoided.
“Even though the mishap is one too many, the security agencies should work with reliable human intelligence report on the ground before any offensive attack to avoid innocent casualties, as has been reported in this case.
“Fatal mistakes like this leave indelible trauma on the families who have lost their loved ones to this ugly and unfortunate mishap. I sincerely commiserate with families that lost their loved ones.
“And to the dead, I pray God Almighty to forgive their sins and grant them eternal rest, and quick healing to the injured. We pray that such a mistake leading to a sorrowful outcome, as this, never happens again in our country.
“It is regrettable that the problem of insecurity in our nation has persisted for so long that we are now paying such unintended human costs as collateral damage.” (GBN)
