Sokoto Strikes: DHQ Says `About 10 People Died Due to a Secondary Explosion`

Following attacks in Sokoto, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has attributed the deaths of “about ten persons” to what it called a “secondary explosion.”

The Sokoto government reported a few days ago that military attacks in the state’s Silame Local Government Area had killed ten civilians and injured others.

However, Major General Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, claimed that “explosions” rather than the strikes were to blame for the fatalities and injuries.

According to him, during a briefing at the DHQ in Abuja on Friday, he said, “Now, I spoke about secondary explosions. Because one of the targets was a logistic base of the terrorists in the community. When I talk of a logistics base, I’m talking of armed caches and poles that were kept there.”

“So, naturally, when the munition hits, there will be a secondary explosion arising from that, which will generate other things flying in the air, which was what led to the death of about 10 persons that was reported. The 10 persons reported were not hit directly by the airstrikes.

“The people who were hit directly by the airstrikes were the Lakurawa terrorist groups, and they were burnt beyond recognition.”

Buba claims that the military has verified that the strikes were directed at the terrorist organization.

He said, “To make sure that those that we saw at that location were indeed terrorists, the Lakurawa terrorist group. And we did that by sending human intelligence to confirm, and they got back to us and confirmed, and it was thereafter that we carried out  a joint operation, a combined, synchronised operation with the Air Force and ground forces.”

“Air Force carried out precision strikes using precision munitions. After the strikes, the land component on the ground moved on the site, and what did they confirm? They confirmed that ‘Yes, the strikes hit the objective.’ That is that.”

Nigerians have continued to react to Buba’s failure to confirm the number of casualties in the strikes.

The victims of the airstrikes have been buried in accordance with Islamic rites.