AFRICA/NIGERIA - At least 85 dead in an accidental military attack on Muslim procession

Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu describes the attack by the Nigerian armed forces on a procession of Islamic believers celebrating the Mawlid an-Nabi holiday (birthday of the Prophet Mohammed) as an "unfortunate, disturbing and painful incident". The attack, which appeared to have been carried out by armed drones (unmanned aircraft), took place on Sunday, December 3, in Tundun Biri village in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, northern Nigeria.
The National Emergency Management Agency confirmed the deaths of at least 85 people and the wounding of 66 others. Two local Islamic organizations, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and Jama'atu Nasril Islam (JNI), called for a thorough investigation into the attack. In a statement, the ACF said it was "perplexed and deeply disturbed that such an operation could be contemplated and carried out in such a densely populated area, reflecting an inexcusable, outrageous and blatantly incompetent intelligence failure". The ACF calls for "a full, thorough, honest and open investigation of the incident, to establish what exactly happened, who was involved and how, the number of lives lost and injured. The investigation must be undertaken with the full participation of the people of the affected community (who must not be intimidated into keeping quiet on the gory details of their losses)".
The JNI, meanwhile, said: "The purported bombing of Muslim faithful by the supposed aerial patrol, resulting in the reported loss of no fewer than 100 innocent lives is a reprehensible and deeply condemnable act. Such a callous and devastating incident is utterly antithetical to the principles of peace and unity that we, as a community, strive to uphold at this critical moment of the Nigerian nationhood, and the act portends danger, especially to military-civil relationship". (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 6/12/12023)

Share:

military

---

---

massacres

---

---