Villagers killed by military airstrike buried in Sokoto

At least 10 civilians killed in a military airstrike on Christmas Day in Silame Local Government Area of Sokoto State have been buried, residents have said.

The residents said the Christmas Day airstrike also killed dozens of livestock at Gidan Sanma and Rumtuwa villages.

Residents told a local news outlet, Sokoto Obstacles, that several food silos and houses were also burnt.

Some survivors narrated how the airstrike caused human and animal casualties.

“It’s multiple airstrikes. The big one fell here, causing heavy destruction which affected our houses and food silos,” a resident said.

They said nine victims died instantly while the other later succumbed to their injuries.

Many residents, largely peasant farmers, have been displaced as a result of the attack.

The military has, however, claimed that the attack was based on intelligence and that those hit were terrorists.

The state governor, Ahmed Aliyu, has demanded an investigation of the incident.

Governor Aliyu said in a statement that he was “in direct communication with the leadership of the Nigerian Army to ensure a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to this tragedy.”

He added that the state government would do everything it could to support the affected families and engage with the relevant authorities to prevent such occurrences in the future.

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Although the military is yet to take responsibility for the killing of the civilians, this would not be the first such fatal errors during air attacks.

PREMIUM TIMES has reported similar incidents in Borno, Niger and Kaduna states leading to the deaths of dozens of civilians.