Three separate known military airstrikes have killed at least 70 innocent Nigerians in 2024 alone.
On Christmas Day, at least 10 innocent civilians were reportedly killed in a series of Nigerian military airstrikes that primarily targeted Lakurawa terrorists in Sokoto State.
Some residents of Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa villages in Silame Local Government Area of the state were said to have been killed during the airstrikes.
Contrary to the Nigerian military’s claim on Thursday that the operation was based on credible intelligence, denying targeting innocent lives during the operation, Abubakar Daftarana, the chairman of Silame LGA, confirmed the incident.
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“The villagers were sitting peacefully when the bombs started dropping on the communities,” said Daftarana.
“They were innocent and peace-loving people who had no criminal record.
“It is early for me to confirm the number of people either killed or injured because we are still assessing the development.”
A villager, whose father and three siblings were killed in the airstrikes, confirmed that innocent lives were indeed lost during the erroneous operation.
There have been other instances where the military killed innocent Nigerians during airstrikes targeted at terrorists in 2024.
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KUKAWA VILLAGE, ZAMFARA (APRIL)
Many innocent lives were lost in Kukawa Village of Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State during a mistargeted airstrike by the Nigerian military on April 12, 2024.
The victims were performing Eid El Fitr prayers on April 3 when the military bombarded the area with deadly airstrikes.
It was later claimed that at least 40 innocent people were killed in the erroneous military operation.
The military would later issue a statement saying that the attack it carried out was based on “credible intelligence from multiple reliable sources”.
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JIKA DA KOLO VILLAGE, KADUNA (SEPTEMBER)
On September 27, at least 23 residents of Jika da Kolo village of Yadin Kidandan in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, were killed by an erroneous military airstrike in a mosque and at a marketplace.
Interestingly, the military would claim the airstrike was “only rained on the logistics base of terrorists”.
It was later confirmed that the casualties of the strike included farmers and children who had gathered around the mosque and market place on that day.
The post TIMELINE: Different Military Airstrikes Have Killed 70 Innocent Nigerians in 2024 appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.