The federal government says despite the recent accidental bombing at Tundun Biri in Kaduna State, it will not be deterred in its resolve to fight terrorists wreaking havoc on the country particularly in the Northwest zone.
Daily Trust reports that the victims, among them women and children, were struck dead Sunday night as they celebrated Maulud while over 60 others were left injured.
Speaking when he led the federal government’s delegation to commiserate with Kaduna people, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, while condemning the incident, described it as “unfortunate.”
“We are not going to relent in our fight against terrorism because these criminals must be defeated,” Matawalle was quoted in a statement issued by the spokesman of the Defence Ministry, Henshaw Ogubike.
He added, “We are going to continue fighting the criminals till we succeed against banditry and other criminalities in this country.”
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According to him, the President had directed that he lead a high-level delegation to pay condolence visit to the good people and government of Kaduna State as well as families of the victims that died and sustained injuries.
The minister visited the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital in Kaduna where the injured victims were receiving treatment and the Kaduna Government House to express federal governments’ condolence to the people of the state.
Matawalle was flanked by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Ibrahim Kana; the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. TA Lagbaja and others.
The former Zamfara State governor assured the state government that the federal government would do everything possible to support the families of the victims.
He added that the government was going to set up what he described as “a powerful panel of inquiry” to ascertain the cause of the incident in order to prevent future occurrence.
In his reaction, the Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, represented by the Deputy Governor, Hadiza Balarabe, at the Council Chamber, Government House, Kaduna, offered heartfelt sympathies to the affected families and pledged unwavering support to the families of victims.
She said while they awaited the findings from the panel of inquiry, the support of the federal government in taking care of the victims was needed, saying the state government alone cannot meet their needs.
“The state government on its part has been able to maintain calm in the state in the face of the terrible incident.
“We have had engagement with clerics of the state to seek their support in talking to the affected communities for their understanding in order to douse the heated tension caused by this sad event,” Balarabe said.
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