- The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) attributes the death of 10 Sokoto villagers to an explosion triggered by the destruction of a terrorists’ base, not by direct airstrikes.
- The airstrike, conducted by the Nigerian Air Force, was a precision-guided operation targeting the terrorist hideout.
- The fatalities resulted from a secondary explosion caused by the detonation of dangerous materials, including hand cartridges and explosives, at the terrorists’ logistics base.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has clarified that the recent deaths of 10 villagers in Sokoto State were caused by an explosion from terrorists’ materials, not by direct airstrikes conducted by the Nigerian Air Force. According to Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen. Edward Buba, the airstrike was a precision-guided operation targeting the terrorist hideout in the area.
The DHQ explained that the terrorists’ logistics base housed dangerous materials, including hand cartridges and explosives, which detonated when struck by the Air Force’s precision munitions. This secondary explosion caused the fatalities, not the airstrike itself.
The military had conducted a coordinated joint operation between the Air Component and the Land Component of Operation Fansan Yamma to destroy the Lakurawas Terrorists Group (LTG) hideouts at Gidan Bisa and Gidan Runtuwa in Silame Local Government Area of Sokoto State. The operation was planned to minimize collateral damage, with precision-guided munitions used to target the terrorist hideout.
