6 Weeks After, Senators Yet To Keep Promise Of Donating Salary To Kaduna Bomb Victims

6 Weeks After, Senators Yet to Keep Promise of Donating a Month’s Salary to Victims of Kaduna Bombing

By Olayide Soaga

Residents of Tundun Biri, a community in Kaduna State that lost scores of its residents to an accidental drone attack by the Nigerian Army, have faulted Nigerian lawmakers for not fulfilling their promise of donating their December salaries to the survivors.

On December 3, 2023, 85 people were killed and dozens injured by a military airstrike during a religious celebration in Tundun Biri, Kaduna.

Shortly after this incident, Barau Jibrin, the Deputy Senate President, paid a condolence visit to the community, where he announced that senators would donate their December salaries totaling N109 million to the victims of the attack.

“We are here to represent the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and indeed, other senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in order to sympathise with you and condole with you for the lost lives and those who sustained injuries in respect of the unfortunate incident that happened at Tundun Biri in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna some few days ago,” said the Deputy Senate President.

“It is on this note that we have decided that we are going to donate our salaries for a full month to be given to those who were affected by this incident. So, a total of N109m will be made available to the governor to be channelled to help bring succour to those affected by the unfortunate incident at Tudun Biri,” Jibrin added.

It has been six weeks since this visit, and the victims are yet to receive this donation.The residents of the community are also worried about the security situation in the community.

“The security situation in Tudun Biri is still a concern. We were told that a military formation would be established but that has not happened. There is still a security threat here in Tudun Biri, and the earlier the government acted on the promise (military formation), the better for the community,” said Idris Dahiru, a man who lost 30 members of his family to the unfortunate incident, told The PUNCH