The Nigerian Government has pledged to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the tragic accidental bombing that claimed 10 lives in the Gidan Bisa and Runtuwa villages of Silame Local Government Area in Sokoto State on Wednesday.
This announcement was made on Friday by Ahmad Aliyu, Press Secretary to the Governor of Sokoto State. He revealed that the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, shared this commitment during a condolence visit to Governor Ahmed Aliyu in Sokoto.
Describing the incident as deeply regrettable, the minister assured that a thorough inquiry would uncover the events that led to the tragedy. He also expressed confidence that justice would prevail.
“Mr President is deeply concerned about this unfortunate occurrence, and he instructed me to convey his condolences to you,” Matawalle stated.
The minister acknowledged that military airstrikes sometimes hit unintended locations due to flawed intelligence provided during operations.
According to the minister, security reports confirmed that the area where the incident occurred had been under the control of Lakurawa bandits. In response, Governor Aliyu urged the military to enhance their intelligence-gathering and surveillance efforts to prevent future errors.
He also praised the military and other security agencies for their dedication to ensuring the safety of the state. Furthermore, the governor expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his concern over the accidental bombing of the two villages.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) attributed the deaths of “about ten persons” to a “secondary explosion” resulting from military strikes in Sokoto.
Major General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, clarified that the casualties were not caused directly by the airstrikes but by secondary explosions triggered by the strikes.
“One of the targets was a logistics base used by terrorists in the community. Such bases often store weapons and explosive materials. When munitions hit these facilities, secondary explosions occur, resulting in flying debris, which unfortunately caused the reported casualties,” Buba explained during a briefing in Abuja on Friday.
He added that the airstrikes primarily targeted members of the Lakurawa terrorist group, who were confirmed to have been “burned beyond recognition.”
To ensure accuracy, the military had conducted a detailed verification process. “We deployed human intelligence to confirm the presence of terrorists at the site. Once this was verified, we launched a synchronised operation involving the Air Force and ground forces,” Buba noted.
He concluded by reaffirming that the strikes achieved their intended objective, successfully targeting the Lakurawa terrorist group.
