The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said it has no hands in the aerial bombing that reportedly killed at least 31 people in Tudun Biri, Igabi local government area of Kaduna state on Sunday night.
Specifically, NAF said it didn’t carry out any air operation in Kaduna state on Sunday.
Residents of Tudun Biri in Kaduna state were said to be celebrating Maulud Nabiyyi (the birth of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)) at about 9pm on Sunday when they suffered jet aerial bombardment following which 31 people were killed and many others sustained various degrees of injury.
Following the incident, a former federal lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, took to his verified X handle (former Twitter) to post that “The translation of the post reveals that scores of people were killed yesterday by Ariel bombardment during a religious festival in a village near the Kaduna Airport. Clarification is needed”.
The Kaduna state government has not commented on the attack and killings.
A statement dated Sunday December 3, 2023 and signed by the Director of Public Relations and Information NAF, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, a copy received by Blueprint correspondent on Monday said NAF has nothing to do with the aerial bombing of the people of Tudun Biri.
“The news making the rounds alleging that Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft accidentally killed innocent civilians in Kaduna is false. Please be informed that the NAF has not carried out any air operations within Kaduna State and environs in the last 24 hours.
“Also, note that the NAF is not the only organisation operating combat armed drones in the North western region of Nigeria. It is also important to ensure that due diligence is always exhausted by the media before going to press with unverified and unconfirmed reports,” Gabkwet said.