Tundun Biri: Reps to probe “accidental bombing”, directs compensation for victims

The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the military bombing of innocent unarmed civilians in Tundun Biri, a village in Kaduna State.

This resolution was sequel to a motion of urgent public importance moved by Umar Ajilo on Tuesday at the resumption of plenary.

Moving the motion, Ajilo said the House should be concerned about the “intermittent reoccurrence” of bombing of civilians by the military.

He stated the bombings point to a failure of intelligence by the military.

“This particular incident and many similar incidents in the past which have been widely tagged as ‘operational mistakes’ by the military have exposed the level of intelligence failure in Military operations.

“This House must rise to the occasion to ensure that this marks the end of the series of mistakes that more often than not go uninvestigated and the victims uncompensated,” he said.

Following the presentation of the motion, the House resolved to mandate the Committee on Army to investigate the unfortunate incident with a view to assessing the damage done and ensuring adequate compensation for the victims and survivors.

It also urged the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to provide the necessary relief materials to the families of the victims and survivors to ameliorate their induced suffering.

In addition, the House resolved to constitute a committee to pay a condolence visit to the families of the victims and survivors.

Following the adoption of the resolutions, the lawmakers observed a minute silence for the victims.