Kaduna Airstrike: Officers Found Culpable Will Be Punished – CDS

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has assured Nigerian that the Nigeria Armed Forces would punish any officer found culpable after investigating the accidental bombing and killing of civilians in Tudun Biri, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Musa gave this assurance on Friday in Abuja, while fielding questions from newsmen at his maiden interaction with the media.

He stressed that those found culpable at the end of an independent investigation ordered by President Bola Tinubu would be punished severely.

According to him: “The incident in Kaduna is highly regrettable, it should not have been. Our task and mandate is to protect civilians, not to kill or maim them.

“Unfortunately, we were chasing some bandits in that general area, and this error happened. As for the officers who committed this error, if they are found wanting, they will face punishment.

“But one important aspect of the investigation that we would be looking forward to is how to ensure that such errors do not happen again and prevent the bombing of innocent civilians.”

“I assure all Nigerians that the Armed Forces of Nigeria is here for Nigerians and we want Nigerians to take ownership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria,’’ Musa said.

He further stated that the military as a disciplined organisation would not hide any officer found culpable in the incident, urging Nigerians to await the result of the investigation to be able to know exactly what happened.

Gen Musa added: “That general area where the unfortunate incident occurred, is where terrorists move and operate all the time. That is the general area from which the Kaduna airport was attacked. That is the general area from where the Nigerian Defence Academy was attacked. A few days before the error bombing, some soldiers were killed in that general area.

“The drones were following the movement of the terrorists. Unfortunately, the error bombing happened. It was never deliberate. It was in the act of trying to clear the terrorists. But we will ensure it never happens again.

On the fight against terrorism, the CDS said he is surprised when some people express the opinion that people don’t want the war to end, saying, “Nobody is benefiting from dying. I am losing men every day, and I have nightmares. The worst thing for a commander is to go and tell a family that their breadwinner is killed.

“Nigerians should stop thinking the war against terrorism, banditry, oil theft, kidnapping is a military war. No, it is a Nigerian project. If all Nigerians say tomorrow, we will not support terrorism, it will stop. Our challenges are man-made. They are not natural disasters. But insecurity is going down. If we want it to end, Nigerians must take ownership of it.”

On allegations that military personnel were compromising in crude oil theft, the CDS said, “The armed forces have been doing a lot in the fight against oil theft in the South-South against militancy, cultism, and kidnapping for ransom, which are all intertwined in that zone.