More than a hundred were killed and many injured for no fault of theirs, last Sunday in the Tudun Biri community, Kaduna State. The attack was unbelievable. Survivors said some bodies were in pieces. Another said parts were picked from trees. The aftermath was devastating. The military raided the small community to destroy terrorists but mistakenly bombed civilians.
For the past few days afterwards, the world has continued to lament what many said was the result of an intelligence failure on the part of those saddled with the task of protecting lives and properties.
The sights have been pathetic. Among the survivors is a deaf and dumb girl nobody knows what to do with her or how to trace her family. She is among the few Christians residing at the Tudun Biri community of Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Three of her relatives were among those Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) otherwise called drone propelled by the Nigerian Army, mistakenly killed during a Maulud celebration. They mistook innocent civilians for bandits. Now, nobody knows her identity. She is alone. Nobody has come forward to claim any relationship with her. No one could tell her next destination since the people close to her didn’t survive it.
I couldn’t eat for days due to trauma — Idris
Malam Idris is another survivor of the Kaduna tragedy. “I have not eaten for days now because of the trauma,” he said.
The gory sight, the stench from decomposing flesh and blood, the thought of missing family members and friends, had changed his body chemistry. Food was no longer what he wanted at the time.
He said the effect of the drone attack was so enormous that many bodies were found in shreds. It was a sight he prayed never to see again.
“While we were in hospital, one of our relatives affected by the drone attack died. He was buried yesterday.
“More people are being brought to the hospital. Many other victims were not even found. Body parts were picked on nearby trees.
“My uncle is the Village Head, he told me 85 died. But many were in pieces and could not be counted. My mother’s younger sister was in pieces. After the first drone attack, our forest officer, Bashir was speeding on his motorcycle to render help.
“Unfortunately, he and other rescuers were killed by the second drone attack, about 30 minutes after. Those who went to the scene of the attack might have seen the charred remains of his bike. He and his friend, Nasiru are no more.”
Our men who fought bandits are gone — Yahaya
As people were mobilized from neighbouring villages to come and assist the victims after the first attack, Yahaya Abubakar from neighbouring Ifira village escaped death by whiskers. Sadly, those who arrived the scene earlier were caught up by the second drone and many were killed.
Abubakar said, “Before this attack, the bandits were not able to attack Tudun Biri. The people fought them fiercely.
“But now most of the able men have been killed. Our fear now is that the bandits could attack us easily now. Those who fought them have been killed. I was lucky but our friend who rushed to the scene on his bike, was killed by the second drone.”
I’ve lost all my relatives, can’t go to Tudun Biri again – Hasiya
Hasiya Shuaibu, another survivor of the Kaduna bombing, looked worried. She said no one was left among her relatives in the community, as they were all gone due to the drone attack.
“I lost all my relatives. The attack affected our children, our younger and elderly relatives. We’ve lost an entire generation. The government should come to our rescue. I can’t go back to the village again,” she said. (Vanguard)
