Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa has pleaded with Nigerians not to judge the Armed Froces of Nigeria (AFN) by last Sunday’s mistaken drone bombing by the Nigerian Army in Tudun Biri community of Kaduna State.
General Musa told Nigerians to ensure that nothing is done to demoralise the troops who are saddled with the responsibility of tackling insecurity across the country.
Musa, who spoke 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, said “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.
”The incident in Kaduna is, indeed, unfortunate and regrettable. It was a mistake and not a deliberate act.”
The Chief of Defence Staff expressed the military’s commitment to protecting the sanctity of human lives, appealing 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.
Earlier in an interview with journalists at the 4th Edition of the Chief of Defence Staff Armed Forces and Security Agencies Half Marathon Championship 2023 in Abuja on Saturday, General Musa said the military would take every measure to ensure that the mistake never occurs again.
According to the CDS: “We pray for the repose of those that have died and those that are injured, we will make sure that they are provided for. The Federal Government and everyone are putting hands on the deck to ensure that we take care of the community, take care of those that have been injured and to also ensure that this doesn’t happen again.
“I want to thank all Nigerians for understanding with members of the armed forces and other security agencies.
“It was not deliberate; it was something that should not have been. We are going to move forward and we are using this competition to appreciate Nigerians for all their support and love for members of the armed forces and to assure them that we will continue to work very hard.
“We want to restore peace and tranquility in Nigeria and God willing, all of us together will achieve that.”