Compiled by Staff Writer
A Nigerian army drone that was carrying a routine mission against terrorists accidentally struck civilians observing a Muslim festival on Sunday, killing 85 women and children – the country’s armed forces have admitted.
Villagers in Tudun Biri in the state of Kaduna had gathered for the Maulud celebration when at about 9pm they heard what sounded like an aeroplane followed by a huge explosion.
According to the Agence France-Presse (AFP), army officials and representatives from the Kaduna state government have met village elders, promising that those affected would be compensated.
The army said it had been carrying out “a routine mission against terrorists but inadvertently affected members of the community”. It did not give casualty figures or explain how the accident had happened but local residents said 85 people, many of them women and children, had been killed.
Idris Dahiru, a villager told AFP: “I was inside the house when the first bomb was dropped … We rushed to the scene to help those affected and then a second bomb was dropped.
“My aunt, my brother’s wife and her six children, wives of my four brothers were among the dead. My elder brother’s family are all dead, except his infant child who survived. We buried 85 people that were killed in the bomb attack.”
Dahiru said more than 60 injured people were in hospital.
The Nigerian presidency said President Tinubu has ordered circumstances surrounding the incident be investigated.
“President Tinubu describes the incident as very unfortunate, disturbing, and painful, expressing indignation and grief over the tragic loss of Nigerian lives.”
Nigeria’s armed forces regularly carry out airstrikes on Boko Haram jihadists and militants fighting insurgencies in the north of the country.
Pictured: Nigerian Armed Forces
Image: Agence France-Presse (AFP)
