Tudun Biri airstrike: Families recount experiences, call for govt’s assistance

In the aftermath of the devastating Kaduna airstrike at Tudun Biri village, Igabi Local Government Area of the state, affected families have been narrating their experiences. The father of a 17-year-old Mansur Auwal, who recently finished from the Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School, Buruku, Auwal Shehu, said his son had the dream of advancing […]

In the aftermath of the devastating Kaduna airstrike at Tudun Biri village, Igabi Local Government Area of the state, affected families have been narrating their experiences.

The father of a 17-year-old Mansur Auwal, who recently finished from the Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School, Buruku, Auwal Shehu, said his son had the dream of advancing to secondary school and beyond. Shehu said he foresaw a future where Mansur would care for the family. Unfortunately, these dreams were abruptly shattered on December 3, 2023 during the military airstrike on their community while they celebrated Maulud.

“My eldest son, Mansur, who recently completed his primary school waiting for admission into JSS 1, died, while his sister, Maryam was injured,” Shehu lamented.

He said the death of his son was painful but believed that God would comfort the family.

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He pleaded with both the Kaduna State and the federal government to include Ugara village in their infrastructural projects.

He said 14 people died from Ugara village while 23 were injured and receiving treatment in a hospital.

“We hope the government would also consider Ugara village in the developmental projects promised Tudun Biri villagers because both villages were the most affected,” he said.

His appeal underscored the profound impact of the airstrike on both Tudun Biri and Ugara villagers.

Isa Ahmed, another resident of Ugara village, echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the bond between Ugara and Tudun Biri. He urged the authorities to consider Ugara in the rebuilding efforts alongside Tudun Biri, stressing that both communities suffered significant losses.

“We are neighbours with Tudun Biri and we celebrate everything together because our community has a good relationship with them.  Although the bombing occurred at Tudun Biri, we lost many people from Ugara who attended the Maulud celebration,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Ahmed emphasized their commitment to remaining in their community. He highlighted their deep connection to the land and the financial impossibility of acquiring houses elsewhere.

Malam Bello Shehu, a resident of Tudun Biri, expressed determination to return home despite the incident.

He acknowledged the presence of soldiers in the community, expressing hope for a permanent security arrangement.

“We have no place to go because this is our land. We have lived here for decades, with our farms, so where do you want us to go? We cannot even own a house elsewhere,” he said.

He told Daily Trust Saturday that he went home on Monday to visit the community for the first time since the incident happened to see the rest of his family members because he had been the person taking care of his son at the hospital.

He said the only change in the community since the incident was the fact that security agencies were deployed to the area.

“There are soldiers in the community, but that was because of the top government officials visiting the community on daily basis. We hope the soldiers would remain here permanently to provide security for us,” he said.

Shedding light on the ongoing challenges faced by those injured and are in hospitals, the chief imam of Tudun Biri, Ashim Jafar stressed the need for counselling before their return. He expressed optimism about the community’s future, citing improved security and government’s promise of support to the people.

“Some of them do not even know who died among their relatives, so the governor told us that they were being careful to bring them back home until they are properly counselled.

“We all returned to our homes in the villages looking at the effort of the state government and the promise made to rebuild our houses. Again, we now have security presence in the community, unlike before. To be honest, the security situation has improved and we are happy for now,” he said.

On the fate of the community he said, “Most of our people are interested in staying in the village while those at the hospital too are eager to return home. Since the unfortunate incident, the village became busy, with our relatives and strangers trooping in to sympathise with us.”

He listed some of the villages affected by the incident in terms of loss of lives to include Ugara, Sabon Gida and Ifira, saying the villagers usually gather at Tudun Biri for Maulud celebration.

He said all the affected houses in Ugara, Ifira, Tudun Biri and Sabon Gida had so far received bags of rice and money, courtesy of the state government.

The Reverend Musa Saidu of Tudun Biri acknowledged the increased security presence. He expressed relief and gratitude.

He also confirmed government’s assistance, including rice and financial aid to affected households.

“We now sleep with two eyes closed because of the security presence in the village. Our people move around freely, doing their normal businesses in the village. Although the pain of losing our loves ones is still there, we are hoping that the injured in the hospital would soon return to the village,” he said.

He also said they were hoping that the government would fulfill other promises made to the affected families and the village.

All donations will go directly to affected victims – Gov Sani

When he received family members of the victims recently, Governor Uba Sani assured the people that all donations from the state government would be given to them directly.

He said a committee would be set up to decide how to share the money donated to them by well-meaning Nigerians.

He said five members of the community would be included in the committee to ensure transparency.

“He assured that the Kaduna State Government would continue to support them. We want to form a committee to decide how to share the money donated to them by well-meaning Nigerians. We want them to bring five people from their community as members of this committee.

“The donations will go directly to the families of those that lost their lives and those in the hospital. We appreciate the families of the affected people for their resilience to resist efforts by religious merchants who want to use this unfortunate incident to cause disharmony in our community,” he said.

Over N249m from donations, pledges on record

So far, there have been some support and pledges for the survivors of the Tudun Biri incident.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu personally donated N20m as announced by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The vice president also contributed N10m, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, gave N5m.

The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar contributed N5m, while the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Taofeek Lagbaja, donated N10m.

Senator Uba Sani Yusuf Hamisu Mai Rago, an ally of the governor of Kaduna State, announced a donation of N10m.

A former vice president, Namadi Sambo, also donated N2m, while senators gave N109m being their December salaries.

Also, northern senators collectively donated N58m, just as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, announced a N10m donation and pledged to build a school and hospital in the community.

Members of the House of Representatives contributed N45m, while the Northern Caucus of the House pledged to execute projects worth N350m.

Similarly, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, donated N3m to the victims.

Northern govs donate N180m to Kaduna airstrike survivors

The 19 northern governors under the aegis of the Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF) have collectively resolved to support the Kaduna State Government and victims of the Kaduna bombing with the sum of  N180 million.

The forum announced this in the communique signed by the chairman and governor of Gombe State, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya at the end of their inaugural meeting held in Kaduna on Friday.

The Forum commiserated with the government and people of Kaduna State over the unfortunate bombing incident at the Tudun Biri Community of Igabi LGA.

The Forum also resolved to work collectively to ensure that the tragic incident is thoroughly investigated with a view to compensating victims and taking corrective measures to prevent future occurrence.

The Forum resolved to vigorously pursue the collective interest of the North in areas of enhanced security, peaceful coexistence, economic development, youth employment, drug abuse and revitalisation of education at all levels.

The NGF Forum further commended the Federal Government for the renewed vigour in the fight against insecurity, menace of kidnapping, banditry, communal clashes and terrorism, bedeviling the region.

The Forum resolved to stand united in its commitment to addressing those challenges through enhanced collaboration with security agencies, strengthening local law enforcement, community engagement, adoption of modern technology and administrative reforms, as well as addressing the root causes of insecurity such as poverty, unemployment and deepening social in-equality.

They also resolved to address the environmental challenges affecting Northern Nigeria which is threatening rural livelihood, pushing farmers into conflict with herders and adding to the general level of poverty and insecurity.