About 24 people were killed by an airstrike on a village in Nigeria’s northern Kaduna state, according to the reports from the residents and a local councillor, after an Air Force operation targeting armed gangs and their hideout.
The September 27 incident is the latest in a pattern of bloody aerial assaults by the military that have killed many civilians.
The Nigerian Air Force had said in a statement that it was investigating the Kaduna allegations but added that the airstrike was based on “credible intelligence” from numerous reliable sources and “confirmatory surveillance of the target area” before the strike.
What They’re Saying
Muhammad Hussaini, a resident had recounted that the airstrike on Jika da Kolo community in Giwa local government area of Kaduna had hit a local mosque instead of the intended armed gangs in the area.
Consequently, the councillor representing the area, Abdullahi Ismail, confirmed the incident saying that several people had died.
In the same vein, Danlami Sale, the resident said that the strike had disfigured most of those killed, who were buried on Sunday.
At press time, the military have said that it was looking into exactly what had happened.
“The Nigeria Air Force is not taking these allegations lightly, and so a thorough investigation is in progress to ascertain the facts and properly inform the public in due course,” spokesperson Group Captain Kabiru Ali said.
