Chris Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), has cautioned Nigerians against using the incident where military air strikes killed scores in the Tudun Biri community in Kaduna State to demoralise troops focused on tackling insecurity in the country.

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

”The incident wasn’t on purpose; we are meant to protect Nigerians and cannot be seen killing them,” said Mr Musa. ”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.” 

The tragedy in Tudun Biri saw dozens killed and many others injured after being hit by a misfire from drones belonging to the Nigerian military.

Mr Musa maintained that the incident, which occurred during a religious festival last Sunday, was a mistake.

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

The defence chief expressed the military’s commitment to protecting the sanctity of human lives. Mr Musa added that troops would never attack law-abiding citizens.

He further 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.

(NAN)