According to reports, at least 16 people were killed in Saturday night’s airstrike on the Tungar Kara hamlet, which is located in the Gidan Goga region of the Maradun Local Government Area, Zamfara State. The strike accidentally struck residents, local vigilantes, and members of the Zamfara hamlet Protection Guard (ZCPG).
Maharazu Salisu Gado Faru, a legislator from the Zamfara State House of Assembly who represents the Maradun II Constituency, corroborated the report and called the airstrike an accident, claiming that it targeted local vigilantes who organized to fight the robbers.
NAF spokesperson AVM Akinboyewa denied the allegation in a statement released on Sunday in response to the incident, saying, “We take every precaution to prevent harm to civilians during operations.” The reports might be terrorist propaganda aimed at undermining the military’s achievements.
Akinboyewa emphasized that there is no reliable information to substantiate assertions of civilian casualties, even as he confirmed that an inquiry is being conducted to determine the veracity of these accusations.
“No civilian casualties have been confirmed at this time, and our operations are guided by reliable intelligence from multiple verifiable sources,” he continued.
In a statement, NAF said, “NAF Investigates Vigilante Casualty Reports, Conducts Decisive Air Strikes in Zamfara.”
The statement emphasized NAF’s dedication to civilian safety and security by outlining how recent strikes in Tungar Kara successfully killed bandits and freed abduction victims.
