General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, has declared that the Armed Forces of Nigeria is prepared to take disciplinary action against any personnel found responsible for the unintentional killing of 85 civilians in Tudun Biri, located in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
General Musa made this declaration on Friday in Abuja. He emphasised that any personnel found guilty after an independent investigation, ordered by President Bola Tinubu, would face severe punishment.
During his first media interaction, General Musa described the incident as deeply regrettable while responding to questions from journalists.
He stated, "The incident in Kaduna is highly regrettable, it should not have been. Our mandate is to protect civilians, not to kill, maim or destroy. At that particular time, we were in the heat of pursuing some bandits within that general area and unfortunately this happened. I assure all Nigerians that the Armed Forces of Nigeria is here for Nigerians and we want Nigerians to take ownership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria."
He further stated that the military, being a disciplined organisation, would not shield any officer found guilty in the incident.
General Musa urged Nigerians to patiently wait for the outcome of the investigation to fully understand what transpired.