At least 85 civilians lose their lives in a failed drone strike by the Nigerian army

Drones erroneously targeted the village of Tudun Biri during a Muslim festival celebration, leading to a tragic incident.

A tragic incident unfolded in Nigeria’s northwest Kaduna State as a botched drone strike by the Nigerian army resulted in the death of at least 85 civilians. The ill-fated incident occurred in the village of Tudun Biri on Sunday, coinciding with a Muslim festival celebration. In response, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed deep concern and promptly ordered an investigation into the matter after the army acknowledged the mistake.

The army did not give any casualty figures, but emergency officials and residents had said 85 people, many of them women and children, were killed.

“The Northwest Zonal Office has received details from the local authorities that 85 dead bodies have so far been buried while the search is still ongoing,” National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said in a statement.

NEMA said another 66 people were being treated at hospital.

Many of the victims were women, children and elderly who had been celebrating a religious festival.

Nigeria´s armed forces often rely on air strikes in their battle against bandit militias in the northwest and northeast of the country, where militants have been fighting for more than a decade.

“President Tinubu describes the incident as very unfortunate, disturbing and painful, expressing indignation and grief over the tragic loss of Nigerian lives,” the presidency said in a statement.

The army had said its drone was a routine mission that “inadvertently affected” members of the community. But it also said the armed groups often mixed with civilian populations in the area.

Later, Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Taoreed Lagbaja visited local community leaders to apologise for the accidental strike and seek an enquiry to prevent similar mistakes.

“Troops were carrying out aerial patrols when they observed a group of people and wrongly analysed and misinterpreted their pattern of activities to be similar to that of the bandits, before the drone strike,” the military said.

After coming to office in May, Tinubu said tackling insecurity was one of his key concerns as he looks to bring more foreign investment to Africa´s most populous nation.

Militia gangs, known locally as bandits, have long terrorised parts of northwest Nigeria, operating from bases deep in forests and raiding villages to loot and kidnap residents for ransom.

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In the northeast, jihadists have been pushed back from the territory they held at the height of the conflict, though they continue to fight on in rural areas.

More than 40,000 people have been killed and two million displaced since 2009 in that conflict.

Nigerian military bombing raids have accidentally hit civilians in the past.