Zamfara Air Strikes: We’re Compiling Dead Civilians’ Names, Emirs Reply NAF

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The Zamfara State Council of Chiefs again on Sunday berated the Nigerian Air Force over the bombing of innocent villagers in the state.

The
Emir of Bungudu and spokesman for the traditional rulers, Alhaji Hassan
Attahiru, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents,
restated the position of council that NAF “concocted names and figure”
of neutralised bandits

He said the traditional rulers had
accepted NAF’s challenge to provide the names of civilian victims killed
during its air strikes on supposed bandits’ hideouts. He said a list of
innocent people killed by the bombing was being compiled.

The
News Agency of Nigeria had on Thursday reported that the council of
chiefs after a meeting in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, said many
innocent villagers had been killed in misdirected air strikes by the
military in the ongoing fight against bandits in the state.

The
traditional rulers had said, “The council noted that air strikes
undertaken by the military do not hit the main camps of the bandits.

“Reports
from Mutu in the Tsafe Local Government Area, Tangaram in the Anka
Local Government Area and Dumburum in the Zurmi Local Government Area,
among others, are that the areas shelled were not the actual hideouts of
the bandits and the victims were innocent civilians.”

But on Friday, NAF faulted the traditional rulers and challenged them to provide evidence of dead civilians.

Air strikes killed civilians, our report will shock Nigerians-Emirs

The
traditional rulers, however, maintained their position, promising to
buttress their claims with incontrovertible evidence of dead civilians.

The
Emir of Bungudu, who spoke on behalf of the emirs, insisted that the
air strikes did not hit the target, but rather killed innocent victims.

NAF
had on Friday claimed its fighter jets destroyed the bandits’ logistic
base in Ajia, Birnin Magaji Local Government Area and killed many
bandits.

But the Emir of Bungudu insisted that the airmen missed their targets and killed innocent people.

Attahiru
said, “There is no where called Ajia in Birnin Magaji. They just
concocted names and figure. Who identified those killed as bandits?

“We
stand by our statement. It was the complaint from our people. Whether
we can provide evidence or not, it is a matter of time.

“We are
compiling a verifiable and evidence-based comprehensive report that will
include a list of innocent victims. Our outcome will shock Nigerians.”

The Emir of Bungudu also pointed out the tactical loopholes noticed in the Air force aerial attacks.
He
observed that whenever the Air force carried out aerial attacks, there
were no ground troops to complement air raids and mop up the fleeing
bandits.

This, he said, allowed bandits to escape and mix with
innocent people, who lived in fear and were at the mercy of the fleeing
hoodlums.

The traditional ruler stated, “We will be the happiest
people in Nigeria to see these bandits flushed out of our state. What we
complained about is that they should tread with caution. We are not
interested in any blame game.

Source:- Punchng

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