The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Christopher Musa, has assured the public that the report on investigation into the Kaduna bombing will be out very soon and made public.
Speaking on Channels TV on Tuesday, the CDS acknowledged the public’s concern and emphasized the government’s commitment to uncovering the truth behind the tragic incident.
“The Federal Government has set up a committee to look into it,” he stated. “We know at the end of it, the truth will come out and everybody will understand that it was definitely a mistake.”
About 100 people were killed by the Nigerian Army airstrikes and many others injured in Tundun Biri, Kaduna State penultimate Sunday night when villagers were celebrating Maulud.
The army had apologised that the bombing was accidental and targeted at terrorists, but several stakeholders had called for proper investigation and punishment of those found culpable.
Addressing anxieties about potential cover-ups, the CDS reiterated the government’s openness, saying “the investigation is going to be made public.”
He said, “The Federal Government is already in charge, it is working on it, and I am sure the announcement will come very soon.
“Like I said, we are sincere, we are fair, we are impartial. We want to know what really happened so that we can make amends. Like I told you, nothing will be thrown under the carpet.
“We actually feel bad. Anytime we have mistakes, we take ownership and we feel extremely very bad about it especially when even we lose our own troops in the war.
“We just want Nigerians to understand that the incident was never deliberate, our mandate is to protect innocent Nigerians and we will continue to do that.
“It is unfortunate that out of the 99 successes we had, this one that we had has given us a lot of negative responses but we know Nigerians want success and we are succeeding.”
Addressing concerns about military men’s involvement in oil theft, the CDS confirmed receiving such reports, adding that steps were being taken to combat the crime.
“Yes, we get such reports but again sometimes they are posted based on performance. When we posted people and they didn’t do well, we change them quickly.
“What I can tell you is that we monitor what our commands are doing, what our soldiers are doing. Any one that we find that is doing anything illegal, we address that as quickly as possible. I can guarantee you that anybody found to be doing anything illegal, we will take adequate actions against that individual,” he added.
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