Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on December 5 ordered an investigation after the country's military admitted to mistakenly launching an airstrike on a Muslim festival in Tudun Biri village, Kaduna state, according to AFP.
Nigerian army mistakenly attacks Muslim festival venue
The attack on December 3 killed at least 85 civilians, including many women and children. The figure was given by local residents while the military did not give a specific number. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said it was continuing to search for bodies while receiving reports from local authorities that 85 bodies had been buried. Another 66 people were injured and are being treated in hospital.
The military has admitted its drones mistakenly struck the address. Emergency officials are in talks with community leaders to defuse the situation.
AFP quoted resident Idris Dahiru, who lost many relatives in the incident, as saying: "I was at home when the first bomb was dropped. We rushed to the scene to help the affected people when the second bomb fell."
President Tinubu called the incident unfortunate, worrying and painful. The leader expressed anger and sorrow over the tragic loss of life.
The Nigerian military regularly uses air strikes against criminal groups in the northwest and insurgents in the northeast, where conflict has raged for more than a decade. More than 40,000 people have been killed and 2 million displaced since 2009.
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