The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the February 25 presidential election, Peter Obi, on Tuesday, in his reaction to the army airstrike of Tudun Biri villagers in Igabi Local Government Area, celebrating Maulud on Sunday, which claimed the lives of villagers, urged the military to exercise utmost caution and professionalism during operations.
Obi, in a thread on his official X (formerly Twitter) page, expressed sadness over army air strikes that killed scores of villagers in Kaduna while calling on security agencies to work with reliable human intelligence reports on the ground before any offensive to avoid accidents.
“I read with sadness the devastating reports of the accidental bombing of Tudun Biri Village in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State by a Nigerian Army craft that mistook the villagers for terrorists,” Obi said.
Continue reading after the advertisment
“While our military continues to fight impressively against insecurity in many parts of the country, they must exercise utmost caution and professionalism to avoid this kind of embarrassment to both the military and the country.
“Any incident that leads to harm or loss of lives of the innocent people they are meant to protect should be avoided.
“Even though the mishap is one too many, the security agencies should work with reliable human intelligence report on the ground before any offensive attack to avoid innocent casualties, as has been reported in this case.
“Fatal mistakes like this leave indelible trauma on the families who have lost their loved ones to this ugly and unfortunate mishap.
“I sincerely commiserate with families that lost their loved ones. And to the dead, I pray God Almighty to forgive their sins and grant them eternal rest and quick healing to the injured.
“We pray that such a mistake leading to a sorrowful outcome, as this never happens again in our country.
“It is regrettable that the problem of insecurity in our nation has persisted for so long that we are now paying such unintended human costs as collateral damage.”
