Nigerian Military Drone Kills at Least 85 Civilians

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Facts

  • Nigeria's government stated on Tuesday that one of its military drones mistakenly killed at least 85 civilians who gathered to celebrate a Muslim festival on Sunday night in Tudun Biri village in the northern state of Kaduna while supposedly targeting 'terrorists and bandits.'1
  • The National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria reported, citing local authorities, that 85 corpses have so far been buried and another 66 have been hospitalized. Emergency officials are negotiating with community leaders to calm tensions to reach the village.2
  • An eyewitness told BBC Hausa that there were two airstrikes — with the second bomb allegedly being dropped on people who went to recover dead bodies of the victims of the first explosion.3
  • Pres. Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered a thorough investigation into what he deemed a 'very unfortunate, disturbing, and painful' mishap. Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja argued that the aerial patrols mistook their 'pattern of activities' as 'similar to that of the bandits.'4
  • Since taking office in May, Pres. Tinubu has increased defense spending to $4B — 12% of the budget for this year — after identifying security as a main priority. Nigeria's military frequently carries out airstrikes against Boko Haram jihadists and militant insurgencies in the north of the country.5
  • According to the Lagos-based SBM Intelligence security firm, airstrikes targeting armed groups in the deadly, decade-long security crisis in northern Nigeria have claimed the lives of about 400 civilians since 2017. Earlier this year, 39 people were reportedly killed in Nasarawa state.6

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2France 24, 3BBC News, 4The New York Times, 5The Guardian and 6ABC News.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The Guardian. This is the tenth time Nigeria's military has mistakenly struck civilians instead of the actual enemy — with a record like that, it makes sense that the government shamefully waited a day to inform the public of this debacle. As the government continues its embarrassing practice of failed drone strikes, it has yet to rescue dozens of students and university staff who have been held hostage by militants for 72 days. Until that happens, the least the government can do is immediately compensate the families of the latest victims sent to their graves too soon.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Nigerian Army. In its fight against the militants infecting the nation, Nigeria's Army has nothing but sympathy for civilians caught in the crossfire. This is why the highest-ranking military officials have visited the area and promised to compensate those impacted by this tragic mistake. However, the need for a military presence in the region remains strong, as it wasn't until the government began its operations in Kaduna that the state was free of terrorism. The government will simultaneously investigate the incident while continuing its fight against insurgents.

Predictions