No fewer than 10 people were killed in a military airstrike while pursuing bandits in Gidan Bisa village of Silame Local Government Area of Sokoto State, North-West Nigeria in the early hours of Christmas Day.
According to the LG Chairman, Abubakar Gitta Rana, the incident occurred at about 6am when two military fighter jets erroneously dropped bombs on the village, leaving 10 persons and many livestock dead.
Sokoto Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, in company of the State APC leader, Senator Aliyu Magarakarda Wamakko and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, defied the difficult terrain of the village and joined other mourners at funeral prayers for the deceased.
Governor Aliyu while commiserating with the community described the incident as unfortunate and an act destined to happen by the Almighty Allah.
“The military jets were on their mission to eliminate criminal armed groups terrorising the state, and mistakenly bombed innocent people of this community.
Destruction on the ground by military air strike in Sokoto State
“We consider this as a mistake because the same military had on several occasions successfully raided so many criminal hideouts in the state” he added
The Governor while praying to Almighty Allah to forgive the deceased, and give their families the strength to bear the loss, said a thorough investigation would be conducted to find out what led to the avoidable mistake, so as to guard against its recurrence.
Earlier, Secretary to the State Government, Muhammad Bello Sifawa, announced a donation of N20 million and 100 bags of assorted food stuffs to families of the deceased.
He added that the state government will also settle the medical bills of those hospitalised as a result of injuries they sustained from the bombardment.
Meanwhile, the Joint Task Force North-West Operation Fansan Yamma has addressed recent reports concerning a military fighter jet allegedly bombing civilian structures in the Silame LGA of Sokoto State.
According to a statement by the Coordinator of the Joint Media Coordination Centre, Lieutenant-Colonel Abubakar Abdullahi, these reports have raised concerns however, it is crucial to clarify that all military operations are conducted based on thorough intelligence and reconnaissance missions.
It added that this rigorous process is particularly important when targeting groups such as the Lakurawa terrorist organisation, as it aims to ensure precision and protect civilian lives.
Given the serious nature of these operations, the public is urged to rely on confirmed information to prevent misinformation and unnecessary panic.
There is a significant risk that terrorist groups may attempt to undermine military successes through media disinformation, necessitating caution concerning unverified claims, especially in the ongoing fight against terrorism and banditry.
Importantly, the targets struck in the vicinity of Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa have been positively identified as associated with the Lakurawa group, reinforcing the justification for the military action taken.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
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