The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen. Edward Buba, says 12 personnel of the Nigerian Army are facing a military court martial in respect of the bombing incident at Tudun Biri in Kaduna State.
Buba made this known while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja on the operations of the Armed Forces.
Recall that 85 civilians were on Dec. 3, 2023, mistakenly killed in military drone attacks in Tudun Biri, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Buba said that the military would punish personnel found culpable in the Dec. 3 incident, adding that an investigation was conducted and concluded with a resolve to ensure that the personnel involved were brought to book and justice served for the victims.
“The military has conducted a painstaking investigation into the incident and has initiated disciplinary action against those culpable.
“Accordingly, the affected personnel are to face a court martial for acts of omission or commission with respect to the incident.
“I am however constrained not to speak much about the incident as it would be adjudged as prejudicial being a case before court martial.
“The military will take extra precautions in the future to ensure that non combatants are safe,” he said.
In December, the Nigerian military took responsibility for the incident saying that it regretted the miscalculated bombardment of civilians in the airstrike on Ligarma village in Kaduna state.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, said in a statement that the military’s UAV detachment observed the movement of terrorists at Ligarma, a terrorist-infested area in Kaduna State.
He said the aerial surveillance captured movement of groups of persons synonymous with the terrorist tactics and modus operandi.
“Accordingly, the threat was eliminated to prevent the terrorists from unleashing terror on innocent civilians.”
The DDMO said that the military does its best at all times to distinguish between civilians and terrorists.
“The military views every civilian death in the cause of operations as a tragedy,” he said. “Such tragedies are needless and unwanted.”
Buba said that the military has taken extensive measures to avoid civilian casualties, including giving precise instructions to communities to alert troops of their activities, particularly when such a community is known to be infested with terrorists and their sympathizers.
He further said that the military will continue to find innovative solutions to the challenges faced in the conduct of operations, including distinguishing between civilians and terrorists who disguise themselves as civilians to perpetrate terror.
NAN
