IT has been two years since the Tudun Biri tragedy. Last week marked exactly two years since an air strike intended for no one fell upon innocent people who had simply gathered to celebrate. We mourned them when it happened, we mourned them a year later, and today, we still remember.
Not just their families. Not just their community. We, as a country, continue to carry the weight of that night.
And yet the same questions echo unanswered: Were those responsible ever held to account? Were any lessons truly learned? Who took responsibility?
Or have we quietly moved on while the community continues to live with scars the nation rarely speaks of?
We remember the victims, loudly.
The below piece was written a year ago:
WELL, it’s been a whole year, and we’ve all clearly been waiting for the government to ‘carefully consider’ the loss of hundreds of lives lost, which occurred on Sunday, December 3, 2023, which resulted in dozens of casualties and injuries to residents of Tudun Biri, Ugara and Sabon Gida after they converged at Tudun Biri to celebrate Maulud.
An innocent community wiped out by a ‘mistaken’ bomb drop—because, clearly, when you’re a military with thousands of trained professionals, ‘oops’ is just a part of the job description. Who could rush to address such a small thing, right? After all, it’s not like people’s lives matter more than political convenience.
And let’s not forget, this isn’t the first or second time either! No, no, it’s practically a tradition at this point. Who needs accountability when you’ve perfected the art of doing absolutely nothing in the face of tragedy?
After all, why bother holding anyone responsible when the real priority is making sure those in power don’t get disturbed by such minor inconveniences like human lives? it’s been a year, a mournful one for the people of Tudun Biri, heart wrenching for the families affected, scary one for those in the state.
The Nigerian Army, which claimed responsibility for the deaths, attributed the incident to a mistake and the two officers of the Nigerian Army, who were found wanting about the incident were said to face court-martial, saying the operation shouldn’t have happened in the first place.
Have they been arraigned? What about the compensation promised by the government? Or should the popular Nigerian saying – May Nigeria not happen to us be said, while we pray for the deceased and move on with our lives like nothing happened?
I ached many months ago when I wroote an open letter to the president about the Tudun Biri tragedy and I am still aching now after 365 days,
- Kabara is a writer and public commentator. Her syndicated column, Voice, appears in News Point Nigeria newspaper on Monday. She can be reached at hafceekay01@gmail.com.