FG to investigate Sokoto airstrike, ensure justice – Matawalle

The Federal Government has announced that it will conduct a comprehensive investigation into the airstrike that led to the deaths of 10 people in Gidan Bisa and Runtuwa villages in the Silame Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, made this assurance during a condolence visit to the state Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, in Sokoto, the state capital, on Friday.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the governor’s spokesman, Abubakar Bawa, quoted Matawalle as saying that justice would prevail and reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring the safety of all Nigerians, wherever they may be.

Matawalle expressed regret over the actions of terrorists, who he said were disrupting the peace of Nigerians. However, he assured that the Federal Government would confront them decisively.

He praised Governor Aliyu’s commitment to fighting banditry and other criminal activities in Sokoto State. According to Matawalle, Aliyu is the only governor who has proactively requested a military base in his state and reassured him of the military’s support in making the state safer.

“We will continue to provide all the necessary equipment and resources to Sokoto State,” Matawalle assured.

“Mr President (Bola Tinubu) is deeply concerned about this unfortunate incident and asked me to come and convey his condolences,” he added.

The minister attributed the wrong bombing to erroneous information available to the military during the operation. However, he clarified that security reports confirmed the area where the incident occurred was being dominated by the Lakurawa bandits.

In response, Governor Aliyu called on the military to improve its information gathering and surveillance to avoid hitting the wrong targets in the future.

He commended the military and other security agencies for their continued commitment to ensuring the state’s safety and thanked President Tinubu for his concern regarding the incident.

The governor also thanked Matawalle for his support in the fight against banditry.

He described the incident as something that was bound to happen and prayed to Almighty Allah to prevent its recurrence. Aliyu expressed his sorrow over the events in the two villages and assured that a thorough investigation would be conducted to determine the full facts of the situation.