Amnesty International has demanded a probe into the erroneous air strike launched on residents of Tudun Biri village in Igabi LGA of Kaduna state on Sunday.
The human rights group in a series of posts on its X handle on Monday, revealed that “over 120 civilians have been killed and dozens injured”.
The group condemned the operation by the Nigerian Army who earlier claimed responsibility for the incident, stating it was “inadvertently” executed.
Amnesty International while reacting to the development said, “Launching air raids is not a legitimate law enforcement method by anyone’s standard.
“The air strike on the village community while holding a religious gathering on Sunday 3 Dec. 2023 must be investigated.
“Such reckless use of deadly force is unlawful and lays bare the Nigerian military’s shocking disregard for the lives of those it supposedly exists to protect.
“The air strikes in Tudun Biri village are an unlawful and excessive force on a catastrophic scale.”
The group further called out the military for applying deadly military tactics to law enforcement situations, while recalling an airstrike that killed over 40 civilians in Doma LGA of Nasarawa earlier in January.
The Kaduna State government to the incident, which also contained remarks from the Nigerian Army claiming responsibility for the collateral damage.
Their acknowledgement came after the Nigerian Air Force denied carrying out any operation in the Northwest in the last 24- hours.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division Nigerian Army, Major General VU Okoro explained that the Nigerian Army was on a “routine mission against terrorists but inadvertently affected members of the community of Tudun Biri village in Kaduna.”
