DHQ confirms 10 civilian deaths in Sokoto terrorist raid

The Nigerian Armed Forces has said that the death of 10 innocent civilians in the Sokoto air raid of the Lakurawa terrorist stronghold was a needless tragedy.

Defence Media Operations spokesman, Major General Edward Buba, said this in a statement today, two days after the tragedy.

He noted that the Armed Forces of Nigeria has to defend citizens from terrorists either through peaceful means or the force of arms.

According to him, it is in the discharge of this responsibility that on December 25, 2024, a coordinated joint operation was conducted between the Air Component and the Land Component of

Operation FANSAN YAMMA to destroy Lakurawas Terrorists Group (LTG) hideouts at Gidan Bisa and Gidan Runtuwa in Jirikon Forest in Silame LGA of Sokoto State.

“Prior to the operation, there was heightened terrorist activities in the area. The military conducted sustained Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions for over extended periods to painstakingly confirm that those hibernating in the area were Lakurawa terrorist,” he said.

“Significantly , the operation was rescheduled from an earlier date to 25 December 25, 2024 in order to allow for further confirmation using Human Intelligence (HUMINT). The joint operation was planned such that, the Air Component’s precision strike capability was complimented by the Land Component’s boots on the ground.

“Pre-operation ISR missions confirmed significant terrorist activity within the general area. HUMINT reports equally corroborated the ISR findings, emphasizing the strategic importance of neutralizing the location.”

General Buba hinted that the aircraft conducted a precision airstrike on the identified hideouts at around 6:00 am.

He said the strike was executed with precision-guided munitions to minimize collateral damage.

His words: “The Land Component deployed at blocking positions around the target location to prevent the escape of Lakurawas terrorist. They also provided immediate post-strike assessment and follow-up actions.

READ ALSO: Lakurawa terror group chased out of Nigeria, says FG

“Following the airstrike, ground forces moved into the area to assess the strike’s impact. The ground forces confirmed that the hideout was successfully neutralized, with minimal damage observed in the surrounding village. The ground forces interacted with the locals in area who confirmed the presence of the Lakurawas terrorist in the general area.

“The airstrike achieved its primary objective of neutralizing the Lakurawa terrorist in their concentration area. The destruction of key infrastructure used by the terrorist including arms cache and logistics dumps confirmed strike’s effectiveness.

“The air strike on the terrorist arms cache and logistics dump led to other secondary explosions causing hoarded munitions to explode in different directions that resulted in 10 deaths. Efforts are ongoing to determine whether or not they were terrorist collaborators.

READ ALSO: Sokoto airstrike gross violation of humanity, says Atiku

“Meanwhile, locals of the area confirmed that Lakurawas terrorists stayed in the village and used the general areas as staging areas for their operation. ISR and HUMINT reports prior to the operation consistently indicated the hideout was a high-concentration terrorist location.

“Overall, troops will continue to take painstaking measures to avoid civilian casualties. All civilian casualties are viewed as a needless tragedy. Nevertheless, we will not relent in targeting and dislodging terrorists across our nation.”