No fewer that 85 people reportedly lost their lives while 50 other severely injured following a bomb mistakenly dropped by a troops of the Nigeria Army.

Wakadaily learnt that the ugly incident happened around 9.00 pm on Sunday night at Tudun Biri, a community within Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Residents of the affected communities said they were celebrating Maulud, an Islamic event when the bombs were dropped by the military.

The Nigerian Air Force, on Monday, however denied bombing the Kaduna village.

Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Commodore Edward Gabkwet, noted that his men had not conducted any operation in the last 24 hours.

He said: “The news making the rounds alleging that Nigerian Air Force aircraft accidentally killed innocent civilians in Kaduna is false. Please be informed that the NAF has not carried out any air operations within Kaduna State and its environs in the last 24 hours.

“Also, note that the NAF is not the only organisation operating combat-armed drones in the Northwestern region of Nigeria. It is also important to ensure that due diligence is always exhausted by the media before going to press with unverified and unconfirmed reports,” Gabkwet added.

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State government, says the Nigerian Army has admitted to mistakenly carrying out the operation, which led to the death of the villagers.

In a statement released by the commissioner to journalists shortly after the deputy governor, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe met with  Islamic clerics, traditional rulers, heads of security agencies, where “the Nigerian Army explained the circumstances which led to the unfortunate and unintended attack.”

He said, “The General Officer Commanding 1 Division Nigerian Army, Major VU Okoro, explained that the Nigerian Army was on a routine mission against terrorists but inadvertently affected members of the community.”