| Tudun Biri drone strike | |
|---|---|
| Part of Nigerian bandit conflict | |
| Location | Tudun Biri, Kaduna State, Nigeria |
| Date | 3 December 2023 |
Attack type | Accidental drone strike |
| Deaths |
120+ (per Amnesty International Nigeria)[1] 88+ (per Nigerian authorities)[2] |
| Assailant |
 Nigerian Air Force |
| |||||
On 3 December 2023, a drone strike was carried out by the Nigerian Armed Forces on Tudun Biri, Kaduna State. Targeting what they thought was a group of bandits, the army mistakenly hit a village, killing at least 88 civilians.
Background[]
In their campaigns against bandits and jihadist activity in northern Nigeria, drones have been heavily used by the Nigerian government.[3] These have led to airstrikes on civilian centers with heavy casualties, including an attack in Nasarawa State in January that killed 39 civilians.[4] A drone strike in Kaduna State in March 2023 killed three others in Sabon Gida.[5] Survivors of the attack stated that no bandits were in Tudun Biri, and the one time there was a bandit, he was disowned.[6]
Strike[]
The drone strike occurred as the villagers were celebrating Mawlid, the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. A Nigerian drone flying overhead in routine counter-terrorism operations mistook the movements of the civilians for bandits, and the Nigerian Air Force called in an airstrike on the village.[5] A survivor of the attacks stated that "I was just standing when I head loud sounds of bombs."[6] Immediately after the attacks, the survivors fled in every direction, sleeping in the woods that night.[6]
The Nigerian Air Force initially denied responsibility for the attacks, but later admitted that 85 people were killed.[5] This number was stated by Kaduna State governor Uba Sani and the Nigerian National Emergency Management Agency.[1][2] Amnesty International's Nigeria office, citing locals, stated that 120 people were killed in the attack.[1] Most of the dead were children.[1]
Aftermath[]
Fifty bodies were buried on the first day, and the remaining bodies were buried in a mass burial on December 5.[6]
Reactions[]
President Bola Tinubu expressed his condolences for the victims, and ordered an investigation into the airstrike.[7] Nigerian Army chief of staff Taoreed Lagbaja attended the funeral and echoed Tinubu's sentiments.[6]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Nigerian military drone attack kills 85 civilians in error" (in en). https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/5/nigerian-military-drone-attack-kills-85-civilians-in-error.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ogao, Emma. "88 dead after military drone mistakenly strikes festival in Nigeria's Kaduna State, local officials say" (in en). ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/International/88-dead-after-military-drone-mistakenly-strikes-fesitval/story?id=105414426.
- ↑ "'Dole a hukunta wadanda suka hari ta sama a jihar Kaduna'" (in ha). 2023-12-05. https://www.bbc.com/hausa/articles/c4n84mjdvyzo.
- ↑ "Nigeria: No Justice for Civilians Killed in Airstrike | Human Rights Watch" (in en). 2023-06-06. https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/06/nigeria-no-justice-civilians-killed-airstrike.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Torelli, Chiara (2023-12-06). "Kaduna: 85 civilians killed, 66 injured in mistaken Nigerian air strike during religious celebrations in Tudun Biri village, 3 Dec." (in en-US). https://aoav.org.uk/2023/kaduna-85-civilians-killed-66-injured-in-mistaken-nigerian-air-strike-during-religious-celebrations-in-tudun-biri-village-3-dec/.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Isenyo, Godwin (2023-12-05). "We thought terrorists were raining bombs – Kaduna community attack survivors" (in en-US). https://punchng.com/we-thought-terrorists-were-raining-bombs-kaduna-community-attack-survivors/.
- ↑ "Tinubu ya ce a gudanar da bincike kan harin da ya kashe masu Mauludi a Kaduna" (in ha). 2023-12-05. https://www.rfi.fr/ha/najeriya/20231205-tinubu-ya-ce-a-gudanar-da-bincike-kan-harin-da-ya-kashe-masu-mauludi-a-kaduna.
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