The United States Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability sympathised with Nigeria on Thursday over the deaths of innocent civilians in Kaduna on Sunday due to an accidental bombing by the Nigerian Army.
News About Nigeria had reported that the Nigerian Army accidentally bombed villagers in the Tudun Biri community of Kaduna State who converged to celebrate Maulud on Sunday.
Confirming the attack, which led to the deaths of over 100 civilians and left many injured, the General Officer Commanding 1 Division Nigerian Army and Force Commander Operation Whirl Punch, Maj Gen VU Okoro, admitted that the Nigerian Army was on a routine mission against terrorists when the incident happened.
Responding to this, the US Centre advised the Nigerian military that the deployment of artificial intelligence would help reduce the incidence of accidental bombing to the barest minimum in the country.
According to the Centre’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Paul Dean, during a roundtable meeting with Newsmen in Abuja, adopting AI by the Nigerian military will not only improve its capabilities but will also prevent the military from running foul of international humanitarian law.
He further explained that the initiative to use AI in the military was taken by the Centre and its partners last month and when applied, would help in reducing unwarranted military attacks on civilians.
According to the Centre’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, they are convinced that if artificial intelligence is deployed by the Nigerian military, it would go a long way in reducing the repetition of such attacks, which according to reports have claimed over 400 lives between 2017 till date.
Dean further stated that the centre is willing to partner with the federal government to curb the proliferation of arms and ammunition in the country.
