The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has clarified that the tragic deaths of several villagers in Sokoto State during recent airstrikes were caused by what it termed “secondary explosions,” not by the airstrikes themselves.
Earlier reports revealed that 10 villagers lost their lives and several others sustained injuries in Silame Local Government Area after airstrikes aimed at neutralizing criminal elements in the region.
The Sokoto State government expressed concern over the incident, describing it as a grave loss for the community.
In response to public outrage, Major General Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, addressed the situation. The DHQ emphasized that the airstrikes targeted criminal hideouts in the area as part of ongoing efforts to combat banditry and other security threats.
“The airstrike indeed hit the logistics base of the terrorists, which led to secondary explosions. It was these explosions that caused the casualties reported earlier,” Buba stated.
“When I talk of the logistics base, I’m referring to hand cartridges and poles that were kept there. Naturally, when the munition hits, there will be a secondary explosion arising from that, which will generate… you know, other things flying in the air. That led to the death of about 10 persons that were reported. The 10 persons were not hit directly by the airstrikes,” Buba said.
“Sustained intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance were conducted over an extended period to confirm the presence of terrorists in the area and to ensure that those present were indeed terrorists. Due to these painstaking measures, the operation, initially scheduled for an earlier date, had to be rescheduled to the 25th, when it was ultimately carried out. The operation was planned as a joint effort, leveraging the air component’s precision strike capabilities and the land component’s advantage of having boots on the ground,” he said.
“This operation began with pre-operational intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions to confirm terrorist activities in the general area. Subsequently, human intelligence was deployed, and their reports corroborated the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance findings, highlighting the strategic importance of neutralising the location. Once confirmed, aircraft were dispatched to conduct precision airstrikes on the identified hideouts at approximately 0600 hours on the specified day.”
“Locals in the community also confirmed that the terrorists had been using the area as a staging ground for their operations. Intelligence and surveillance reports before the airstrike consistently identified the location as a high-concentration hideout for the Lakurawa group,” he added.
Buba assured that the military would continue its operations to dismantle terrorist networks while minimising harm to civilians and their communities.
“The operation’s primary objective was achieved, and the impact on surrounding villages was minimal,” Buba said.
