The military high command on Friday said it has destroyed the logistics base of the terrorists’ group known as Lakurawa, disturbing the peace of Sokoto communities when it rained airstrikes on them on Christmas day.
According to Daily Trust, it specifically clarified that the deaths of 10 villagers in Sokoto State were caused by the secondary explosion that arose when the airstrikes bombarded the logistics base of the group.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, while addressing journalists at Defence Headquarters, maintained that the airstrikes conducted by the Nigerian Air Force hit the primary target.
He explained that the airstrike was a precision-guided operation targeting the terrorist hideout in the area.
He maintained that the fatalities resulted from the secondary explosion triggered by the destruction of the terrorists’ logistics base.
“The airstrike indeed hit the logistics base of the terrorists, which led to secondary explosions. It was these explosions that caused the casualties reported earlier,” Buba stated.
He further explained that the terrorists’ logistics base housed dangerous materials, including hand cartridges and explosives, which detonated when struck by the air force’s precision munitions.
“When I talk of the logistics base, I’m referring to hand cartridges and poles that were kept there. Naturally, when the munition hits, there will be a secondary explosion arising from that, which will generate other things flying in the air. That led to the death of about 10 persons that were reported. The 10 persons were not hit directly by the airstrikes,” Buba said.
He added that intelligence; surveillance, reconnaissance, and human intelligence were carried out over an extended period before the operation was conducted. He also said the earlier date for the operation had been shifted to prevent human casualties.
Buba said the ground forces confirmed the destruction of the terrorists’ key infrastructure and the neutralisation of several combatants during the operation, adding that survivors from the group fled the area, leveraging their familiarity with the terrain.
