News
Nigeria military to court martial 2 solders over Kaduna accidental bombing that killed many
Two military personnel will face court martial for the December 3, 2023 accidental bombing on the Tudun Biri village of Kaduna State.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, revealed this during a press briefing at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
Buba said the investigation launched into the incident had been concluded with two personnel indicted
The accidental bombing led to the death of at least 85 civilians with several injured.
The villagers were said to be celebrating Maulud, an Islamic festival, when the incident happened with the Army promptly owing up to the accidental bombing and describing it as highly regrettable.
President Bola Tinubu ordered a probe into the incident while the military promised that any personnel found culpable would be punished.
The DHQ, on December 8, instituted an eight-member panel to initiate an investigation into the incident.
Buba t in January that the panel comprised senior officers across the geopolitical zones of the country.
Giving an update at the Thursday press briefing in Abuja, the DHQ spokesman said, “I want to speak briefly about the incident in Tudun Biri village in Kaduna State as the investigation has been concluded.
“The military conducted a painstaking investigation into the accidental drone strike and has initiated disciplinary actions against troops that were indicted.
“Accordingly, the affected personnel are to face a court martial for acts of omission or commission with respect to the incident.”
Buba said the investigation report had been submitted to relevant authorities but refrained from providing further details.
“I am, however, constrained to speak much about the incident as it would be adjudged as prejudicial being a case before a court martial.
“However, it must be made clear that the incident was a mistake, as the victims of the strike were mistaken for terrorists.
“It is hoped that there would be no repeat of strikes on non-combatants in ongoing operations. The military will take extra precautions in the future to ensure that non-combatants are safe,” he added.
The legal team of suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, say they are ready with factil evidence to defend her in court.
The team received a formal summons in the case filed against her by the Federal Government at the Federal Capital Territory High Court last week.
On Friday, May 16, 2025, the Federal Government filed the suit, marked CR/297/25, over alleged defamatory remarks made during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.
The government accused the senator of “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person”, citing Section 391 of the Penal Code, cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990.
Among the witnesses listed to testify during the trial were Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Others include Asuquo Ekpenyong, a senator; Sandra Duru; Maya Iliya, investigating police officers; and Abdulhafiz Garba, investigating police officers.
However, in a statement issued Friday night by Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN) on behalf of the legal team, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers confirmed receipt of the formal summons and pledged to prepare all “factual and statutory defences” available to the lawmaker during trial.
“At about 2:30pm on Friday, May 23, 2025, within the premises of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, we received the information filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, containing three counts alleging that our client, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, made imputations she had reason to believe would harm the reputation of Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the 10th Senate,” the statement read.
“We received the said information on her behalf through a letter of authority duly issued and filed in the court’s registry.
“The legal team will fully prepare and present all factual and statutory defences available to our client during the trial.”
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will on Tuesday next week begin the take over of 4,794 properties in Abuja, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters, due to unpaid ground rent.
The PDP headquarters, currently under construction in Abuja’s Central Business District, is among the affected properties, having been revoked in March for several years of unpaid ground rent. The FCTA disclosed that 4,794 titles had been revoked for failure to pay ground rent, with some defaults dating back 43 years.
The affected properties are located in various districts, including Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape.
The defaulters owe over N6.96 billion in ground rent. The FCTA had given a 21-day grace period for owners with debts under 10 years, which has now expired.
The FCTA officials announced that the takeover would begin on Monday, May 26, 2025, with the sealing off and restriction of access to the affected properties.
The Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze emphasized that the revocations were carried out under Section 28(5)(a)(b) of the Land Use Act, which empowers the government to reclaim land when the terms of occupancy are violated.
Two people sustained serious injuries when a training aircraft crash-landed at the Ilorin International Airport on Friday.
Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, who disclosed this in a statement, said the incident occurred at 17:28 local time on May 23, 2025, during a simulated instrument approach on Runway 05 at Ilorin International Airport.
Oladeji said the aircraft veered off the runway and came to a stop on the grass verge, leaving the two occupants on board injured.
She stated: “Both sustained serious injuries and were swiftly evacuated to a medical facility, coordinated by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA.
“In response, the NSIB Go-Team is currently preparing to depart from Abuja to Ilorin to conduct on-site investigations. The team will secure the site, collect physical evidence, interview witnesses, and retrieve operational data to establish the cause and contributing factors of the incident.”
Quoting the Director General of the NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., she said “Our thoughts are with the injured, and we commend the swift medical and emergency response. Now, our focus is on understanding exactly what went wrong. Every investigation is an opportunity to improve safety. We are deploying our team to Ilorin to ensure that no detail is overlooked.”
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