The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja on Tuesday, paid a condolence visit to the Tudun Biri community in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State which was affected by the Nigerian Army airstrike that claimed dozens of lives on Sunday.
The Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, revealed this in a statement and photos shared on the official X handle of the Nigerian Army on Tuesday.
According to the statement issued by the Nwachukwu, Lagbaja mentioned that the troops were carrying out aerial patrols when they observed a group of people wrongly analyzed and misinterpreted to be bandits, before the drone strike.
He expressed sincere regrets and apologised on behalf of the Nigerian Army to the people of the community.
Lagbaja assured the villagers that a thorough investigation had commenced on the matter even before the directive to that effect by President Bola Tinubu.
The COAS stressed that the Nigerian Army as a responsible public organisation, would support the families of those who died and the ones injured, as well as the entire community to alleviate their sufferings.
He urged members of the community not to be deterred by the incident in their support to the Nigerian Army and other security agencies battling to ensure peace and stability across the state and Nigeria as a whole.
Responding, the District Head of Rigasa, Alhaji Aminu Idris, who received the COAS, described the drone attack as unfortunate, adding that people in the community had suffered attacks by bandits.
Idris appreciated the COAS for the visit and urged troops of the Nigerian army to do their best in protecting the lives and properties of citizens.
He expressed the hope that the Nigerian Army would compensate families of the deceased to ameliorate their sufferings.
