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Going by the flood of reactions by state officials and political interest groups on the recent miscalculation by the military in Kaduna State, you may come to the assumption that this is one incident that will make the government learn its lessons and avoid a recurrence.
The Nigerian Army had on Sunday night, December 3, mistakenly bombed Tudun Biri village of Igabi council area, Kaduna State, while Muslims gathered to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad.
Different figures were posted on the casualties. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) claimed, during the week, that “85 dead bodies have so far been buried while search is still ongoing.” On the other hand, Amnesty International’s Nigeria office said 120 people were killed in the attack, citing reports of its workers and volunteers in the area. Locals swore that the number was higher.
Very few incidents in recent time had seen Nigerians united in grief and passion as the error bombing. President Bola Tinubu, in a commendable move that marked a radical departure from the lifeless disposition of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, directed the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, to visit Kaduna and the affected community. Tinubu further directed a thorough and full-fledged investigation into the incident and called for calm while the authorities looked diligently into the mishap, according to a release by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale.
Following suit, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Chris Musa, Chief of Army Staff, General Taoreed Lagbaja, and other military chieftains, have reached out to the relations of the victims. Political actors, like the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the February election, Peter Obi, have also called in to show empathy to the grieving villagers. These are salutary and demonstrate our concern to the plight of our fellow beings in moments of distress.
But are there lessons to be learned from the incident? That is a question that cannot be readily answered in the affirmative. But if previous experiences are to serve as guide, nothing much may come out of the mishap in Kaduna. The diligent investigation promised by the President may not unearth much. And if it does, Nigerians may never know what may have happened. They may not even bother to know.
There is, in fact, something in us that seems to suggest that nothing moves us as a people, no matter how gruesome. The best we do in moments of tension and pain is to shrug off things, move on, and, if further pushed, utter, “how I for do?” That was the point by the immediate past Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, at TheNiche Annual Lecture on October 26, 2023.
Amaechi, who spoke on the topic, “Why We Stride and Slip: Leadership, Nationalism and the Nigerian Condition,” noted that nothing moves Nigerians, even in the face of extreme provocations. “Nigerians choose who to believe and who not to believe… Even if you come to a Nigerian man’s house and kill his mother, the father will continue his life. Nothing bothers you, nothing,” he said.
We seem to be wired to absorb the immediate shock, move ahead and wait for the next. On that ground, those that have lost their lives in the Kaduna fiasco could as well, be said to have died and have gone and, painfully, forgotten by the authorities. May the good Lord grant their souls eternal rest.
This is not the first time the nation would find itself in this tight corner. Reports from Aljazeera, a leading international news agency, indicated that, between February 2014, when a Nigerian military aircraft dropped a bomb on Daglun in Borno State, killing 20 civilians, and September 2022, there were at least 14 documented incidents of such bombings in residential areas. On each occasion, it was usually a matter of condemnation and a deluge of concern without the law taking its course. There may not be any difference in the present episode.
Even then, there are reports of Nigerians dying in tens and hundreds in the hands of terrorists with the government carrying on as if all is well. Shortly before the military miscalculation in Kaduna, precisely, on Sunday, November 5, bandits and Boko Haram had unleashed mayhem in Borno and Katsina states, leaving many dead and scores wounded. At least 15 rice farmers were reportedly killed in Bornu and many feared abducted when the insurgents attacked three villages of Koshebe, Karkut and Bulabulin in Mafa local government of the state.
In Katsina, bandits launched a deadly attack in Kusa, Musawa Local Government Area, killing at least 20 and kidnapping many individuals. The assailants were said to have descended on the natives during a Muslim celebration and opened fire on them.
The Borno, Katsina and Niger incidents took place barely a week after at least 40 people were killed in Yobe State. The attack occurred after suspected Boko Haram militants shot at villagers and set off a land mine.
Before then, there were instances of criminals and other non-state actors running riot. Over 521 persons were killed by terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements between July 1 and October 6. In September, 71 persons were killed; August saw 216 deaths, while July recorded 219 violent deaths. Troubling and disturbing as the reports are, killing Nigerians in whatever guises seems to have become the norm.
So, the Kaduna bombing should demand more introspection and not be reduced to an issue of public relations and propaganda by the government and its officials. There is need to get at the root of the incident. Those affected by the accident should be adequately compensated and rehabilitated. While the government does the needful, those making incendiary comments on the matter should be called to order. Personalizing or ethnicising the accident can never yield any dividends to the government and the society.
There are many ways to express love and concern for displaced Nigerians in different parts of the country. Nigeria has over 12 million out-of-school children roaming the streets, begging for food and constituting nuisance to road users. There are some in internally displaced peoples (IDP) camps that need to be reintegrated into society. Many do not have work and deserve to be engaged. These are patriotic channels to express empathy and fellow-feeling.
Making a mountain out of the Kaduna error bombing, which the state government and military authorities have clearly admitted as an outright case of miscalculation, cannot qualify as showing affection. That is, rather, sheer incitement that can only worsen the plight of the victims.
