Dauda Lawal: Civilian deaths in Zamfara air strike not intentional

Dauda Lawal, the governor of Zamfara, says the recent military air strike in the state that resulted in the deaths of some civilians was not intentional.

On January 11, over 16 residents were killed after a military air strike tore through the Tungar Kara community in the Maradun LGA of Zamfara.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) had initially denied the report of civilian casualties during the air strike but later made a U-turn.

On Tuesday, NAF deployed a fact-finding team to investigate the tragedy and uncover the circumstances surrounding the operation.

Speaking on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television on Wednesday, Lawal said he was aware of the military operation beforehand, having personally requested air force intervention to neutralise bandits attacking the area.

The governor extended his condolences to the families of the victims, acknowledging they were “collateral damage” in the airstrike.

“We have been battling issues within the last three days as a result of the air strike. Let me say this: I have full information on what happened that fateful day,” Lawal said.

“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.

“But on the second time when we made the same reports, unfortunately at that time, they were somewhat 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 three days.”

“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.

“The chief of air staff has set up a committee to commiserate with the state government as well as the people that were affected. They also went there yesterday to do an on-the-spot assessment to see who was involved and what happened to guide against future occurrences.”

The governor expressed confidence in the military’s ability to tackle banditry in Zamfara, adding that the days of Bello Turji, a notorious bandit leader, are numbered.