General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, has responded to allegations from the Arewa Action Group for Good Governance linking him to the bombing of civilians in Tudun Biri, Kaduna state.
In an interview with Arise TV, General Musa was told that “The Arewa Group for Good Governance is beginning to make statements against you. They are accusing you of conniving with the Nigerian army against a certain people that you think are not of your ethnicity in Kaduna State to attack them. This is a direct and heavy allegation against you, how do you react to this?”
In his response, General Musa expressed regret over the situation, acknowledging the emotional responses it has triggered. He clarified that the operation against terrorists has been ongoing for a considerable period, and in the process, mistakes can occur.
He vehemently denied any tribal, religious, or ethnic motivations behind the actions, emphasizing the diverse composition of the affected community, which includes both Christians and Muslims from various ethnic backgrounds. Contrary to the allegations, Musa asserted that the military maintains a professional stance and does not take sides.
In General Musa’s words: “Well I think it is highly unfortunate and you should also understand that when situations like this happen, emotions run very high and people tend to have different emotions as to how they react to issues but it is highly unfortunate and highly regrettable. It is an ongoing operation that has been on for a long while and we are trying to put in our best to ensure that we defeat the terrorists, and mistakes do happen.
“Nothing has to do with tribe, religion, or ethnicity. Anybody who has that kind of thought is not being truthful and sincere about it. That community has both Christians and Muslims so it is not even just one tribe and we have tribes from other areas that were farming within the general area. So sometimes when people don’t have full information they tend to react differently to it. The community is not totally one ethnic group or one religion. We are professional soldiers, we don’t take sides”.