Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has described the recent military airstrike in the North-Western state as unintentional.
Governor Lawal, speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, commiserated with the families affected by the tragic incident.
The governor disclosed that he was aware of the military operation before the tragedy, explaining that he had personally called for the Air Force’s intervention to neutralise bandits attacking the area.
“We have been battling issues within the last three days as a result of the airstrike. Let me say this, I have full information on what happened that fateful day, because we made the distress call to the Air Force in terms of some bandits attacking communities, and they quickly responded, and they were able to neutralise a lot of bandits,” he explained.
“But on the second time when we made the same reports, unfortunately at that time, they were some what we call the CPGs and some of those communities that came to rescue those under attacks, and in the process, they were hit by the Air Force, and I believe it was not intentional. It was one of those things in this kind of situation, sometimes there may be collateral damage and that was what happened in less than 3 days.”
Regarding his action concerning the incident, the governor said, “I set up a powerful delegation led by my deputy governor for on-the-spot assessment and to commiserate with the families of those that lost their lives. In the process, what happened was fully explained, and they quite understood it was not intentional.”
Governor Lawal expressed confidence in the military’s capacity to address the menace of banditry in Zamfara, adding that the notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, would soon meet his end, just like other high-profile bandits who have been neutralised.
The tragic airstrike, which occurred on January 11, claimed the lives of over 16 residents in the Tungar Kara community in Maradun Local Government Area.
In response to the incident, the Nigerian Air Force deployed a fact-finding team to investigate the tragedy and uncover the circumstances surrounding the operation.
