Zamfara, northwest Nigeria— Similar to the Tudun Biri community, where several Muslim worshippers were killed by a military airstrike in a gathering in Kaduna State, another incident killed civilians trying to repel a terrorist attack in the Kankidawa community of the Maradun local government area of Zamfara State.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening, when community members joined forces with the Zamfara Community Protection Guard (ZCPG) to defend a neighbouring village, Tungan Kara, under siege by armed bandits, according to a Punch report obtained by Daily Episode.
About 16 civilians were killed during the military airstrike, including one guard of a local vigilante member recognised as the Zamfara Community Protection Guard (ZCPG), local sources disclose.
A victim who lost his child in the military airstrike discloses that the vigilante mobilises to repel the attack on the Tungan Kara village following calls by the villagers seeking support that the bandits invade their community, rustling livestock while pushing to kidnap the villagers.
“It was around 3:30 pm while we headed to the Tungar Kara; we noticed an aircraft from the sky dropping bombs on villagers. After they sought the aircraft, the bandits had already fled the scene and escaped the military airstrike.
Our efforts were to protect our neighbours from armed bandits trying to rustle livestock and kidnap them; unfortunately, the innocent villagers became victims of the military airstrike while the bandits fled. What a catastrophe,” the source disclosed.
Lieutenant Colonel Abubakar Abdullahi, spokesman of Operation Fansan Yamma, didn’t confirm the incident but promised to provide an update after investigations on the military.
While calling for a thorough investigation of the airstrike that claims many lives, as others are battling between life and death for the sustained degrees of injuries without access to medical care, Amnesty International Nigeria condemned the incident.
Recall that similar incidents also claimed the lives of several people while many sustained injuries in Sokoto last year in December on Christmas Day.
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