THE Chief of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, on Thursday, insisted that the military airstrikes at Tudun Biri village that killed over 100 villagers was a “regrettable error” that will not reoccur.
Lagbaja stated this when he appeared before the National Assembly Joint Committee on the Army to defend the Army’s 2024 budget.
He said that the bombing in Tudun Biri in Igabi Local Government Area of the state was “accidental” amid criticism that the bombardment was intentional.
But the chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Abdulaziz Yar’Adua (Katsina), said a thorough investigation would get to the root of the matter.
The committee observed a minute silence in honour of the deceased.
It also commended the Army chief for taking responsibility for the unfortunate incident in Kaduna.
Yar’Adua, however, presented an award to the army chief, which he said was in recognition of the Army’s contributions to the nation’s security.
He said, “This presentation is in recognition of your contributions and service to the country particularly, the security of the nation.”
Earlier, the Nigerian Army urged the National Assembly to review the federal government’s envelope budgeting system.
“The envelope system leads to inadequate funding for the Army to perform optimally in line with its constitutional duties,” he said.
Lagbaja also called on the parliament to expedite the passage of the Armed Forces Support Trust Fund Bill before the expiration of the 10th National Assembly.
The Army Chief also presented a budget of N787.2bn for the 2024 fiscal year with a personal cost of N647.5bn, overhead cost of N31.6bn, and capital expenditure of N107.9bn.
