The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has firmly stated that there was no error in the military airstrikes targeting members of the Lakurawa terrorist group in Sokoto on Wednesday.
A fighter jet bombed two communities in the Silame Local Government Area, resulting in at least 10 deaths and several injuries.
The Sokoto State Government had claimed that the 10 people killed in the strikes were “innocent villagers.”
However, while visiting the North-Western State a day after the incident, the CDS addressed journalists at the Giginya Cantonment Sokoto, asserting that those killed were criminals.
He also stated that an investigation would be launched into the incident.
“We have individuals that still harbour those people and once you do that, you make yourself a target. Our appeal is please do not allow them hang around you, do not give them any support in whatever means.”
“The incident that happened yesterday is an operation we conducted. We followed up and ensure we avoided mistakes as much as possible. If there were other mistakes that came up, we will investigate.
“From what we have seen, there were criminals in that place. Anybody that toyed with them was part of them.
“We want to appeal to the media, always understand that those guys want to use the media to send their message across. That is what it is dangerous not to agree to what they are saying.”
General Musa stated that regardless of the controversy surrounding the airstrikes, the military would continue with its operations and would not relent in fighting criminal elements but would avoid civilian casualties.
He explained that the military “would avoid civilian casualties as long as even they do avoid staying where the criminals are. It makes the job extremely difficult if we say wherever they are with the criminals, we avoid.
“If you are not with them, please leave their area and come out so that it gives us the ability to deal with them decisively.”
He also used the opportunity of his visit to have Christmas lunch with the troops of Operation Fansan Yamma, an operation aimed at ridding the state of bandits.