Nigeria’s military has admitted that an airstrike targeting the Lakurawa group in Sokoto State unintentionally killed 10 civilians due to secondary explosions, according to army spokesperson Edward Buba.
The operation, which took place late Wednesday, was aimed at hideouts near Gidan Bisa and Gidan Runtuwa, identified as hubs for the insurgent group. However, details about civilian casualties were not disclosed until Friday.
Sokoto State Governor Ahmed Aliyu had earlier confirmed that 10 civilians were killed and several others injured when a military fighter jet, pursuing bandits, mistakenly struck non-combatants.
In a statement, Buba explained that the targeted site housed an arms cache and logistics dump for the Lakurawa group. The resulting secondary explosions from stored munitions caused the fatalities.
The military is investigating whether the civilians were linked to the insurgents, Buba added. He emphasized that “troops will continue to take all possible measures to avoid civilian casualties.”
The Lakurawa group, which the military has recently flagged as infiltrating Nigeria’s northwest from Niger and Mali, has been identified as a growing security threat in the region.
