The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) is sticking to its claim that a “secondary explosion” was responsible for the deaths of “about ten persons” following military strikes in Sokoto. A few days ago, the Sokoto State Government was quick to report that ten innocent villagers had lost their lives, and others were injured after military strikes in the Silame Local Government Area. But according to Major General Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, the deaths didn’t happen because of the strikes themselves. No, no it was the so-called “secondary explosions” from weapons caches and supplies that did the damage.
In a briefing at the DHQ in Abuja on Friday, Buba elaborated on the whole explosion theory. Apparently, one of the military targets was a “logistic base” of terrorists in the community, containing “armed caches and poles.” So, when the bombs hit, all those explosive materials went off, sending flying debris that caused the deaths of about ten people. But Buba insists that these ten victims weren’t directly struck by the bombs.
They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, probably minding their own business, as bombs and shrapnel rained down. Meanwhile, the military is apparently thrilled to report that the “terrorists” who were directly hit were from the Lakurawa group and were “burned beyond recognition.”
Buba went on to assure everyone that the military made sure of their targets, using “human intelligence” to confirm that the people at the location were indeed terrorists. They even sent people on the ground to make sure, and after the strikes, ground forces confirmed the operation was a success..
However, Buba conveniently failed to confirm the exact number of casualties from these airstrikes, which has, of course, caused confusion and mixed reactions from Nigerians. After all, a few innocent lives lost due to “secondary explosions” hardly inspires confidence in the accuracy of military operations. And let’s not forget, those who perished in the airstrikes were quickly buried according to Islamic rites, so there’s that, at least.
As usual, the military’s version of the story doesn’t exactly match what many Nigerians are seeing or hearing, and it’s no surprise that people are starting to question the real cost of these so-called precision strikes.
