The Federal Government has pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into the accidental bombing that resulted in the death of no fewer than 10 people in Gidan Bisa and Runtuwa villages in the Silame Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by the Press Secretary to Sokoto State Governor, Ahmad Aliyu.
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, made the commitment during a condolence visit to Governor Ahmed Aliyu in Sokoto. Describing the incident as “very unfortunate,” Matawalle assured that the probe would unravel the circumstances leading to the tragedy and ensure justice is served.
“Mr President is worried by the unfortunate incident and he asked me to come and condole you over what happened,” Matawalle said, adding that the government would work to prevent a recurrence.
The minister acknowledged that military airstrikes sometimes hit unintended targets due to inaccurate intelligence.
He revealed that security reports indicated the area was dominated by the Lakurawa bandits, making it a target for military operations.
Responding to the incident, Governor Ahmed Aliyu urged the military to improve intelligence gathering and surveillance to avoid future mistakes.
While calling for caution, he commended the military and other security agencies for their efforts in combating insecurity in the state.
The governor also thanked President Bola Tinubu for his concern and swift response to the tragedy.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has attributed the casualties to a “secondary explosion” rather than a direct result of the airstrike.
Major General Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, explained that the explosion occurred because one of the targets hit was a terrorist logistics base storing munitions.
“When the munition hits, there will be a secondary explosion arising from that, which will generate other things flying in the air. That was what led to the death of about 10 persons that was reported. The people who were hit directly by the air strikes were the Lakurawa terrorist groups, and they were burned beyond recognition,” Buba said.