The Sokoto state government says no fewer than 10 civilians
were killed when a military air strike targeted suspected terrorists in Gidan
Bisa village, Silame LGA of the state.
Abubakar Bawa, press secretary to Ahmed Aliyu, governor of
the state, wrote in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Bawa quoted Abubakar Rana, chairman of Silame LGA, as saying
that the incident occurred around 6am on Christmas Day, when two military
fighter jets “mistakenly” dropped bombs on the village.
Aliyu, who was accompanied by Aliyu Wamakko, leader of the
All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state; and Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi,
minister of labour and employment; attended the funeral prayers for the
victims.
Consoling the villagers, the governor described the incident
as “unfortunate”.
“The military jets were on their mission to eliminate
criminal armed groups terrorising the state and mistakenly bombed innocent
people of this community,” he said.
“We consider this a mistake because the same military had on
several occasions successfully raided many criminal hideouts in the state.”
Aliyu prayed for Allah’s forgiveness for the deceased and
strength for their families.
Muhammad Sifawa, secretary to the state government,
announced a relief package of N20 million and 100 bags of assorted foodstuffs
for the families of the deceased.
He also assured that the state government would cover the
medical bills of the injured.
The military had denied reports of civilian casualties in
the bombing.
Reports said air strikes conducted by the air component of
Operation Hadarin Daji, targeting the Lakurawa terrorist group, had
inadvertently killed civilians in the Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa communities.
However, Abubakar Abdullahi, joint media coordinator for the
operation, said the strikes targeted locations confirmed to be linked to the
insurgents.
“All military operations are based on thorough intelligence
and reconnaissance missions to ensure precision and protect civilian lives,”
Abdullahi said.
“The targets struck in the vicinity of Gidan Sama and
Rumtuwa were positively identified as associated with the Lakurawa group,
reinforcing the justification for the military action.”
Olusola Akinboyewa, spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force,
disclosed that the missiles were launched following credible intelligence from
multiple sources and confirmatory aerial surveillance.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on Areatatafo.com.ng to reach thousands of our daily users
