'We see deadi body all ova di place' - Nigerian village mourn one year afta military 'use mistake' drop bomb ontop dem

One Islamic school teacher, Masud Abdulrasheed, still dey struggle to cope wit di killing of im seven-year-old daughter for drone strikes by Nigeria military during one religious festival for dia large but small population village exactly one year ago.

Di military say di bombing na sake of "one failure of intelligence", wey lead di army to mistake di open-air festival for Tudunbiri for a gathering of jihadist fighters.

"Di incident of 3 December, 2023 na great tragedy wey no suppose happun," military tok-tok pesin Maj-Gen Edward Buba tell BBC. "Di armed forces regret dat incident. And if we fit bring back di lives wey die back, we for do am."

Warning: Dis story get graphic details wey fit make some readers feel somehow.

About 85 pipo die, including Oga Abdulrasheed' little daughter Habeebah, wen unmanned drones drop two bombs for di village for northern Kaduna state.

"Di first bomb drop on us at around 10 pm, close to one tree wia women and children dey siddon," Oga Abdulrasheed tok. "We run for safety, but moments later we gada to help those wey wunjure and also call for help, but di second bomb drop and kill more pipo."

Oga Abdulrasheed describe Habeebah as "di most caring among my children".

"She go always give me all di gift dem give her, even if I no need am," Im tell BBC.

Di 36-year-old na one of di organisers of di annual festival, wey dey known as Maulud, dem dey organise am to celebrate di birth of Prophet Muhammad.

Many of im students die for di tragedy.

"We see deadi body all ova di place as if dem dey sleep. Body parts dey around di tree branches and ontop roof. We pack dem inside sacks and bury all di deadi body dem for mass grave.

"Nothing pain reach to see pipo you invite for celebration to come meet dia end. I dey so heartbroken," Oga Abdulrasheed tok.

As di father of four speak to BBC, Im siddon wit im second daughter, Zaharau, by im side for one mat outside dia house. Im gently pull up her top to show wound for her belle.

Bomb hit four-year-old Zaharau. E take at least one hour to drive her and di oda pipo wey wound to di nearest hospital for Kaduna city.

Although she do surgery, her wound still neva go finish.

"Wen my daughter and di odas wey wound bin dey hospital, dem bin take care of all of dem. We thank goment for dat.

"But tins change afta dem discharge dem, months later. Di hospital no gree kontinu wit dia [free] treatment. Dem just dey give us excuses."

If you waka around Tudunbiri, e dey hard to see family wey di bomb no affect.

Twenty-year-old Aisha Buhari lose three of her younger brothers. She survive, she wunjure her left arm wey still neva heal.

She siddon for one stool, she cry and wipe her tears wit her hijab as she remember di last moments of her brothers.

"Dat night, I just finish to tok wit dem and I just waka comot wen di first bomb hit, only for me to see dia deadi body for ground later," Buhari tok.

"Wen dem rush me go hospital, I no think of anything but my brothers. I cry well-well."

As Madam Buhari dey tok, she pause to wipe di pores wey dey comot from her wound.

"E no get house or farm work wey I no fit do bifor di incident happun, but now I no fit do anything well. I depend on pipo to help wit something as ordinary as to wash clothes," she tok.

Kaduna state govnor Uba Sani tell BBC say im go look into di condition of villagers like Madam Buhari.

"Thank you BBC for dis information. I go personally go back to Tudunbiri, and if I find pipo wey still need treatment, I go take care of am," im promise.

"Di instruction I give na to treat evri body wey wunjure and none of dem go dey discharged until dem recover well," im add.

Despite wetin happun last year, di Muslim faithful for Tudunbiri celebrate di festival again dis year, but e hold two months earlier.

Di occasion also mark di inauguration of one mosque wey goment build for dem sake of di bomb site, as a form of compensation.

Oga Abdulrasheed dey act as di mosque imam as di previous one die for di air strikes.

"We dey happy about di new mosque, but we no go ever forget wetin happun," Oga Abdulrasheed tell BBC. "Any time I come hia, I always remember dat day, and I dey feel depressed. As we celebrate dis year Maulud, we also mourn those wey we lost."

For years, Nigeria military dey battle wit armed jihadists and criminals, wey dey raid villages and kidnap pipo for ransom in parts of di north.

Dis don lead to rise in air strikes to target dem.

Di Nigerian Air Force don get "many" new aircraft, di editor of Defence Web, Guy Martin, tell BBC.

Dis include Chinese-built unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), wey dey known as drones.

"Chinese UAVs dey cheaper, dis make dem more accessible. Nearly a third of African kontris don buy UAVs, mainly from Turkey and China," Oga Martin tok, and add say na strikes from UAVs wey cause di disaster for Tudunbiri.

"Intelligence failure, poor coordination, and inadequate operator training na some of di reasons for erroneous strikes. Di rapid deployment of UAV technology most times dey pass development of proper training and engagement protocols for military personnel," Oga Martin add.

Maj-Gen Buba tell BBC say di military find diaself dey operate for"challenging and complex" operational environment.

"But we don grow in our equipment holding and in our deployments of more experienced commanders and troops," e tok.

According to consulting firm SBM Intelligence, di Nigerian Air Force carry out 17 accidental air strikes between January 2017 and September 2024, wia dem kill more dan 500 pipo.

"One mistake dey enof; wen we see hundreds die sake of error attacks, we suppose dey concerned," Human Rights Watch (HRW) Nigeria researcher Anietie Ewang tok.

In response, Maj-Gen Buba say rights campaigners suppose "give us more credit sake of say we dey more transparent, for working wit di pipo, and say we dey more accountable for our actions, as we reveal particularly during di Tudunbiri incident".

"We go do eviritin possible to ensure say dis no go ever happun [again]," Maj-Gen Buba add.

Im say dem court-martial two army personnel ova di incident and while di case still dey in progress, di military don redeploy dem and relieve dem of dia command.

Both di federal and state goment don also unveil development projects for di village as part of efforts to show remorse for di deaths, Sani tell BBC say di construction of a hospital and skills acquisition centre dey almost complete.

"We dey support di pipo of Tudunbiri, and we go kotinu to do am," Im tok.

"Dem be my pipo," di govnor add.

But for a cruel irony, more dan 20 pipo for di village bin report say dem kolobi dia farmland for di projects.

E include 50-year-old Hashim Abdullahi, wey tell BBC say: "I no dey happy becos dis hospital don take my means of livelihood and dem no compensate me. I dey jobless and I no fit provide for my family."

In response, Sani say: "For di pipo wey true-true get land, di department of land for Kaduna dey work wit di head of di community to ensure say di right pipo go collect dia land back."

Nigeria Vice-President Kashim Shettima also visit di village sake of di killings, promising - in collabo wit di state goment - justice and financial compensation.

Dem tell pipo say dem go receive 2.5 million naira ($1,500; £1,180) for each pesin wey die for dia family, while those wey wunjure dem offer am about 750,000 naira ($500).

"E different as authorities actually carry out compensation dis time around, but many believe say dis no mean anytin," Madam Ewang tok.

"We need to see di authorities take much-needed action towards justice, accountability, and compensation for victims in all of di oda incidents of air strikes wia dem don accept am as an error," she add.

Madam Buhari tell BBC say her family don receive di 7.5 million naira for her three brothers wey dem kill, and she get 750,000 naira for her injuries - though di no dey enof.

"I usually buy drugs for pharmacy to dress di wound becos na wetin I fit afford to do now. Di hospital no dey treat us again. Sometimes di pain go dey vey hard for weeks," she tok.

"We hope say di goment go come to our aid again so if get proper care for my hand. I no fit use am again," Madam Buhari add.

Oga Abdulrasheed tell BBC say im neva get financial compensation for di injuries wey im four-year-old suffer.

"I always dey feel worried wen I look her condition," im tok.

Im say im don receive di full financial compensation for di death of im seven-year-old, but no amount of money fit replace her.

"Evri time I visit di grave site, I remember those wey we bin dey live togeda wit but now dem no dey again. I dey miss all of dem. I miss my daughter."

Additional reporting by BBC's Yusuf Akinpelu.