Amina Samuel KADUNA
The Northern Coalition Of Sociopolitical Group has sympathized with the victims of the Tudun Biri bomb attack which had caused the death of several persons and injuries to many others.
The Group represented its Deputy National President, Alhaji Balarabe Lawal Zaria, and expressed its condolences at a Press Conference held at the Nigeria Union Of Journalists State Secretariat, Kaduna.
Balarabe Lawal described the tragic drone attack by the Nigerian military that occurred at Tudun-Biri village in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, during a Maulud Celebration, as unfortunate.
The Deputy president stressed the need for peace and tranquility, despite the ugly incident.
It observed that “Most saddening was that the incident occurred at about 10 PM when a large number of Muslims celebrated Maulud, the birthday of Muhammad.
“However, from the information gathered, the Nigerian Army was on a routine mission against terrorists, but inadvertently affected members of the community leaving several citizens dead and many others injured.
He called on other Arewa Groups to avoid giving the issue of religion or ethnicity coloration, to guard against what happened, and to further build confidence between the community and the military.
“As of today, the death toll from the incident as of last Wednesday had increased to 127 as officials of Amnesty International who visited the affected communities confirmed the increase in the death toll with scores of injured persons taken to the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital in Kaduna.
“We members of the NORTHERN COALITION OF SOCIO-POLITICAL GROUP, therefore, wish to commiserate with the Muslim Ummah as well as the Christians affected by the incident who were said to be celebrating the Maulud. We also commiserate with the Kaduna state government and families of victims, praying that “God grant the dead peace.”
“The devastating impact on lives and emotional effects are better imagined, therefore, we are urging the government and international communities to assist members of the community, especially victims’ families to cushion the effect of the bomb attack.
“Of course, it is natural for such incident to attract condemnation, little wonder, the pan-Northern political and cultural association, the Arewa Consultative Forum, and the Jama’tu Nasril Islam have added their voices with calls for those found culpable to be punished.
“However, it is too early and out of place for anyone to give the incident an ethnic or religious coloration when investigations about the circumstances surrounding the bombing are still ongoing.
Meanwhile, "We are joining United Nations, ACF, JNI, and other organizations to demand full, thorough, honest, and open investigation of the incident, to establish what exactly happened, while we urged the military to review its rules of engagement to avoid the recurrence of an airstrike on a community in Kaduna State that killed several civilians.“
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