• Gabkwet leads NAF fact-finding team to Zamfara
• Nigeria moves to block B’Haram’s sources of funds
• AYCF urges improved precision, accountability

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Christopher Musa, has explained that the military follows strict protocols before executing any airstrike across the various theatres of operations.

To probe the alleged accidental bombing of 16 members of the Zamfara Community Protection Guard (ZCPG) and local residents in Zamfara State, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has deployed a fact-finding team to the state, NAF’s spokesman, AVM Olusola Akinboyewa, announced in a statement yesterday.

The CDS also disclosed that Nigeria is making effort to starve terrorists of funding, as the financial support they receive from local and foreign sponsors is the major reason they remain a threat, despite efforts to contain them.

Meanwhile, Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF) lamented the action, urging improved precision and swift investigation.

According to Musa, the military conducts its airstrikes with precision, and civilians are not deliberately targeted.

Reacting to the recent killing of 16 civilians in Zamfara during an interview on Arise News, yesterday, the defence chief said, “The issue of the airstrikes is still the same. Before we conduct any airstrike, we follow up on movements. I can tell you, when we do airstrikes, we do it with precision.”

He noted that the accidental killing allegations might be antics to demoralise troops, adding that most of the allegations come when the military was making headway.

Musa called for patience and cooperation in verifying such incidents, urging communities to allow military investigations before concluding the nature of any airstrike.

LED by the Director of Coordination and Cooperation (DCC) in the Civil-Military Relations Branch of NAF Headquarters, AVM Edward Gabkwet, the NAF team liaised with state and local council officials and other stakeholders “for a holistic assessment of the situation to drive the appropriate response.”

“Concerned about the reported incidence of civilian casualties in the recent NAF airstrikes in Zamfara, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, has dispatched a fact-finding team to Zamfara to fully investigate the incident and provide a detailed report for further action,” the statement reads.

According to the statement, the CAS reiterates the commitment of NAF to the highest level of professionalism and transparency in the conduct of operations, in line with appropriate global standards.

SPEAKING on the ongoing battle with Boko Haram and why the troops have not been able to decimate them, Musa: “For them to have been able to sustain their operations for 16 years, they should have foreign sponsors. During the surrendering exercise, we were able to see some of them with hard currencies in different denominations.”

To contain the terrorists, Musa said the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Financial Intelligent Unit (NFIU), the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) were involved in tracing and blocking their sources of funds.

“We have reached out to the international community to trace the movement of the money. If we can take that (sources of funds) out, we take the oxygen that keeps them going, which is very vital,” he said.

The defence chief also explained that Boko Haram terrorists raise funds locally through taxes, levies and kidnapping. “Also, we have the belief that, locally, they have resources of funding, probably through taxes, levies, kidnapping and so on; that is why we are making all the efforts to ensure that we deny them. But I can assure you, the Federal Government has stepped in.”

PRESIDENT of AYCF, Yerima Shettima, stated, yesterday: “The recent reports of an airstrike in Tungar Kara, Zamfara State, resulting in the tragic deaths of at least 16 civilians, evoke a profound sense of sorrow and concern. This incident, allegedly a mistaken attack by NAF on members of the Zamfara Community Protection Guard (ZCPG) and locals, highlights the devastating consequences of collateral damage in counter-insurgency operations and underscores the urgent need for improved precision and accountability.

“Our immediate reaction to such news is one of deep sympathy for the victims and their families. The loss of life, particularly in such a seemingly accidental manner, is undeniably heart-breaking. The ZCPG, while a local vigilante group, comprises individuals attempting to protect their communities from armed violence. The fact that these civilians, actively working to maintain some semblance of order, became casualties of the very forces intended to bring security is particularly tragic. It raises serious questions about the efficacy and targeting procedures of the NAF’s operations.”

Decrying a lack of precise intelligence leading to such a devastating error, he demanded a thorough investigation, adding that the incident raised broader concerns about the ongoing conflict in Zamfara and the strategies employed to combat it.