Many villagers are feared dead, and several others injured, as a fighter jet targeting members of the Lakurawa sect in their hideout mistakenly bombed two communities in Silame local government area of Sokoto State.
According to a source in the community, Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa are the affected communities. The incident reportedly occurred at about 7a.m. on Wednesday.
The source, who preferred anonymity, noted that “the two villages were located close to Surame forest, which was identified as the hideout of Lakurawa and bandits.
“No fewer than ten villagers were killed, with several others sustaining various degrees of injuries during the air strike.”
Also confirming the attack, the chairman of Silame local government area, Alhaji Abubakar Muhammad, said his team was still assessing the damage caused by the airstrike.
“The villagers were sitting peacefully when the bombs started dropping on the communities. They were innocent and peace-loving people who had no criminal record.
“It is too early to confirm the number of people either killed or injured because we are still assessing the development,” he said.
When contacted, the spokesman of the Sokoto State Police Command, ASP Ahmad Rufa’i, declined comment on the matter, saying it was not their operation.
Also, efforts to speak with the Air Force spokesman in the state were unsuccessful, as his number was not reachable at the time this report was compiled.
NAF spokesman Air Vice Marshal Olusola Akinboyewa said the airstrikes were conducted based on credible intelligence and that reports of civilian casualties will be thoroughly investigated.
News reports that this is yet another case of the military mistakenly bombing innocent villagers. In December 2023, about 120 villagers were killed in Tudun Biri in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Residents of the affected communities said they were celebrating Maulud, an Islamic event, when the military dropped the bombs.
