Widespread outrage erupted on Monday following the accidental bombing of Tudun Biri, Igabi Local Government Area, Kaduna State, by the Nigerian Army on Sunday. The bombing left at least 85 villagers dead.
Residents of the affected communities reported celebrating Maulud, an Islamic event, when the military airstrike occurred. This tragedy triggered both local and international condemnation.
To ease tensions, Hadiza Balarabe, Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, visited Islamic clerics in the state. Additionally, Governor Uba Sani ordered a thorough investigation to prevent future occurrences.
As the state government sought to calm the situation, prominent Nigerians and human rights groups condemned the recurring accidental bombings by the military. A PUNCH investigation revealed that at least 425 individuals, including children and women, had been killed in such incidents between September 2017 and 2023.
The Kaduna State government confirmed that the Nigerian Army claimed responsibility for the Tudun Biri bombing, which killed dozens of villagers during the Maulud celebration.
“We were celebrating Maulud when the jet dropped the bomb,” a resident who requested anonymity stated. “It resulted in the immediate death of more than 30 people.”
However, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) updated the death toll to 85 in a Facebook statement on Monday evening.
“The zonal office visited the Barau Dikko hospital, where casualties were treated, and observed approximately 66 persons admitted with various degrees of injuries and fractures,” the statement read. “It is noteworthy that the casualties ranged from children and women to the elderly.”
