Gift Ufuoma / BBC
An Islamic school teacher, Masud Abdulrasheed, continues to struggle with the loss of his seven-year-old daughter in drone strikes by Nigeria’s military during a religious festival in their village a year ago. The military attributed the bombing to a “failure of intelligence”, mistaking the festival for a gathering of jihadist fighters.
Mr Abdulrasheed’s daughter, Habeebah, was one of the 85 people killed in the attack. He described her as the most caring among his children, always willing to share her gifts with others.
Many of Mr Abdulrasheed’s students were also among the casualties. The aftermath of the bombing left families devastated and struggling to cope with the loss of their loved ones.
Despite the tragedy, the Muslim community in the village celebrated the festival again this year, marking the occasion with the inauguration of a mosque built over the bomb site as a form of compensation. Mr Abdulrasheed now serves as the mosque’s imam.
The incident has raised concerns about the use of drones in military operations in Nigeria. Human Rights Watch has called for accountability and transparency in such operations to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
Efforts are being made by the government to provide support and compensation to the affected families. However, some villagers have expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of the situation, particularly regarding the confiscation of farmland for development projects without adequate compensation.
As the community continues to mourn and heal from the trauma of the air strikes, there are calls for justice, accountability, and proper compensation for all victims of such incidents.