THE Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, said the investigation into the Kaduna unintentional military airstrike is ongoing and that those responsible will be punished.
Eighty-five persons were confirmed killed and hundreds injured in an accidental air strike in the Igabi council area of North-West state a few weeks ago.
Following the event, President Bola Tinubu ordered an investigation, with the CDS promising that anyone found to be responsible would face the law.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria is solidly behind the government and Nigeria. Our mandate is to defend democracy and we will continue to do that. So, nobody should have any fear. We would make amends after the committee [to probe the matter] has come up [with its report]. Anybody who is found culpable will face the music,” he said on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
According to him, once the investigation is over, the outcome will be made public.
“We are sincere, we are fair, we are impartial. We want to know what actually happened so that we can make amends. I can assure you that nothing will be swept under the carpet,” the CDS said on the breakfast show.
He also apologised for the airstrike, saying the Army “feel extremely very bad about it” and that the “incident was never deliberate”.
“Anytime we have mistakes, we take ownership and we feel extremely very bad about it especially when we lose our troops in war,” General Christopher added, calling on Nigerians to continue in their support of troops to win the war against banditry and other crimes.
“We just want Nigerians to understand that the incident was never deliberate. We would never deliberately target our citizens. Our mandate is to protect innocent Nigerians and we will continue to do that.”
“We should not, by our actions or utterances, demoralise our troops. These guys stay awake so you can sleep,” the CDS said.
“It is easier for you to say they made a mistake; they’re not doing well. If they pull out of these locations, what happens? We will not even have a country.”
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, who appeared on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily today noted that Air strikes are often employed by Nigeria’s armed forces in their combat against bandit militias in the country’s north-west and north-east, where jihadists have been battling for more than a decade.
However, the latest military airstrike sparked outrage from human rights groups, who are urging on the Army to evaluate its engagement and operational protocols to guarantee such instances do not occur again, as well as to compensate victims and their families.
Several high government dignitaries and public prominent figures have visited the victims in North-West State since the disaster. Vice President Kashim Shettima, Labour Party leader Peter Obi, and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) leader Rabiu Kwankwaso were among the first to visit the victims. Donations have also come in from a variety of quarters.
