THE Federal Government has pledged to thoroughly investigate Wednesday’s accidental bombing that claimed the lives of more than 10 people in Gidan Bisa and Runtuwa villages of Silame Local Government Area, Sokoto State.
This was revealed in a statement on Friday December 27, by the Press Secretary to the Sokoto State Governor, Ahmad Aliyu.
According to the statement, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, made this known during a condolence visit to Governor Ahmed Aliyu in Sokoto.
Describing the incident as deeply unfortunate, Matawalle assured that a comprehensive investigation would be conducted to uncover the circumstances surrounding the tragedy and ensure justice is served.
“ President Bola Tinubu is worried by the unfortunate incident and asked me to come and condole you over what happened,” Matawalle said.
The minister noted that military airstrikes occasionally miss their targets due to inaccurate intelligence provided during operations.
He added that security reports indicated the affected area was a stronghold of the Lakurawa bandits, which might have contributed to the error.
The National Emergency Management Agency reported that over 10 people died due to a bomb released in two communities in the Local Government Area.
According to the agency, the bomb was launched by a fighter jet targeting Lakurawa terrorists but mistakenly hit Gidan Bisa and Runtawa communities.
Meanwhile, a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and the former governor, Aminu Tambuwal, have demanded impartial probe into the incident.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.