MANY villagers were feared dead while several others injured as a fighter jet targeting Lakurawa terrorist group mistakingly bombed two communities in Silame Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The affected communities were Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa. According to locals, the incident occured around 7am on Wednesday.
A resident of Silame, who gave his name as Malam Yahya, noted that the two villages were located close to Surame Forest identified as another hideout of Lakurawa and bandits.
Another source told this newspaper that over 10 villagers were killed and several others sustained varying degrees of injury during the airstrike.
The chairman of Silame LGA, Alhaji Abubakar Muhammad Daftarana, however, confirmed the attack, saying they were still assessing the level of 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 any criminal record.
“It was early for me 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 a police operation.
News Point Nigeria had reported that there was widespread outrage on December 3, 2023 over the accidental bombing of Tudun Biri in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State by the Nigerian Army, which left no fewer than 85 villagers dead.
Residents of the affected communities said they were celebrating Maulud, an Islamic event when the bombs were dropped by the military, a development that triggered both local and international condemnation.
