A former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, in Zamfara State Bello Galadi has advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to constitute a high-powered panel of inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Tudun Biri bombing.
He said the panel should be composed of persons with unquestionably and impeccable integrity, demanding that the report be made public when investigations are completed.
His call is contained in an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, where he noted that Section 33(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended) and Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognize the sanctity of human life and as such, no human life should be lost, except as permitted under the law.
According to the open letter, the president needs to ensure the payment of the sum of two hundred and twenty-nine million, five hundred and forty-eight thousand naira, N229,548000,000, as ‘Diyya’, (blood money) to the families of each of the departed victims, being the prescribed amount, as at today, under Islamic Law.
“You need to provide education scholarships for the children of the departed victims. You need to rebuild the Tudun Biri Community and provide it with basic infrastructure, such as water, electricity, roads, mobile networks, schools, clinics, etc.”, the letter added.
“You need to defray the medical bills of the wounded and make special packages for their welfare and wellbeing. You need to constitute a high-powered panel of inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
” For the smooth operations of the panel, you need to suspend pending investigations, the Minister of Defence; the State Minister of Defence; the Chief of Defence Staff; the Chief of Army Staff; the Chief of Air Staff; the National Security Adviser; the General Officer Commanding One Division, Nigerian Army as well as the Head of Aviation Unit, Nigerian Army”
“Anyone indicted by the panel should be punished according to the laws of the land and the rules of the game. The prosecution of the culprits should be carried out in public”
“Nobody should be spared, no matter how highly connected he is. You must not politicize this issue. You must prioritize our safety and security over any political consideration”
“You need to personally visit the families of the victims at the scene of the incident. The incident is such a special one that requires your physical condolence. The visits by some government delegations are not enough”
“You need to address the nation on the Tudun Biri killings and commiserate with all Nigerians. You need to declare national mourning. About 120 people have so far died including women and children with several others receiving treatment at Barau Dikko General Hospital, Kaduna”
The letter also stated that the president needs to assure Nigerians that this incident will not reoccur in the future. “In less than 10 years, this is the 16th incident across Nigeria. This is highly worrisome”
“You need to overhaul your security architecture through training and re-training as well as provision of modern gadgets. Our security men should be well-armed to confront the terrorists. I personally commend the Army in their fight against the terrorists.
“However, they need to display a high level of professionalism in the discharge of their duties. Anything short of this is a national embarrassment. We are doomed as a country if our Nigerian Army cannot distinguish between civilians and terrorists at 9 PM.
“You need to ensure that the victims of the tragedy get justice. Justice in terms of adequate compensation and punishing the culprits according to their offences.
“I hereby, most humbly, urge the National Assembly; the Nigerian Police Force; the Nigeria Governors Forum; the Nigerian Bar Association; the National Human Rights Commission, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs; the Kaduna State Government, as well as other concerned organizations to launch independent probes into the killings instead of relying on Federal government’s investigations.”
