NAF Airstrikes Hitting Innocent Zamfara Households, Community Alleges

Some communities in Maradun local government area of Zamfara State have lamented the alleged killing of scores of people at Kukawa village during airstrikes by troops of the Nigerian Army under Operation Hadarin Daji.

An indigene of the village, Musa Abubakar, who narrowly escaped the attack narrated that his community was performing Eid-el-Fitr prayer last Wednesday when the Nigeria Airforce bombarded the area

leading to the death of scores of people.

According to him, no fewer than 40 people were killed during the bombardment, lamenting that he lost 13 relatives in the incident.

He said, “We were performing Eid-el-Fitr prayer on Sallah day when we saw a plane approaching the area.

“Immediately the plane approached the Eid praying ground, we heard a terrifying sound and everybody took to his heels.

“I was one of the lucky ones who escaped unhurt but several people were killed on the spot and many others sustained various degrees of injuries.

“I lost 13 people who are my blood relations while two others sustained injuries.

Another person from the area who sought anonymity said that the bombardment of the village by the Airforce was as a result of gunshots from suspecting bandits who targeted the military aircraft.

According to him, when the military aircraft was passing over the village, some suspecting bandits fired several shots, trying to bring it down.

He said, “The aircraft was passing over the village and suddenly the bandits started shooting towards its direction.

“This had forced the military to drop several bombs in the village during the Eid-el-Fitr prayer and many people lost their lives.”

Speaking on phone, the spokesperson of the Operation Hadarin Daji, Lieutenant Suleiman Omale said, the military was fighting bandits and not the innocent people of the state.

He added that he was not aware of any civilian killed during the bombardment.