Sokoto airstrike: Northern group calls for independent investigation

A Northern advocacy group, Northern Star Initiative has decried the aerial bombing of Gidan Bida and Runtawa communities in Silame local government area of Sokoto that led to the death of at least ten innocent civilians and the destruction of property.

This was contained in a statement issued to newsmen in Kaduna on Friday by the Director General of the group Dr Abdullahi Idris.

He noted that though there were conflicting accounts of the incident between the villagers and state officials on one hand and the military authorities on the other, what is incontrovertible is the fact that the communities were bombed and innocent persons died.

He therefore called on the federal government to set up an independent investigative committee to find out the truth of what truly transpired.

The statement called a similar incidence of the bombing in the Tudun Biri community in Kaduna state while they were peacefully celebrating el-el maulud last year, Dr Idris said these “errors” are getting too many and too costly in terms of human lives.

He therefore called on the military authorities to take urgent measures to stem the ugly tide.

“An independent high level investigation should be carried out immediately, and those found liable should be punished and adequate and commensurate compensation should be given to those that lost their love ones in the unfortunate incident,” he added.

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