The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Chris Musa, says last Sunday’s incident where military air strikes killed scores in Tudun Biri community in Kaduna State was a mistake.

Musa said this at the graduation of the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 45 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, near Jos, the Plateau State capital, on Saturday.

The military mistakenly killed many people in drone strikes during a religious festival on Sunday night in Kaduna State.

Following the two air strikes, about 88 people died while no fewer than 68 others, mostly women and children, sustained various degrees of injuries.

The CDS, while commenting on the incident, cautioned Nigerians against using it to demoralise troops focused on tackling all forms of insecurity in the country.

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He said: “The incident in Kaduna is, indeed, unfortunate and regrettable; it was a mistake and not a deliberate act.

“The incident wasn’t on purpose; we are meant to protect Nigerians and cannot be seen killing them.

“And so, I want to appeal to Nigerians not to use this incident to demoralise our troops, because we are determined to end all forms of insecurity currently confronting our nation.”

Musa further expressed the commitment of the military toward protecting the sanctity of human lives, adding that troops would never attack law-abiding citizens.

The CDS also appealed to Nigerians to pray and support the military and other security agencies in their bid to rid the nation of all forms of security challenges.

The Star