NAF Silent As Airstrikes Targeting Bandits Kill Woman, Her 4 Children in Zamfara

A woman and her four children have allegedly become victims of airstrikes launched by the Nigerian Air Force during an operation by the Force to eliminate bandits in the Sububu area of Zamfara state.

According to a report by Daily Trust, a Nigerian newspaper with much focus on news from the northern part of the country, the aerial mission was conducted around 2 pm on Monday.

“The bombs killed a woman and her four children. Two of the kids, a boy and a girl, were teenagers. One elderly woman was also wounded in the attacks,” a Sububu resident was quoted.

The resident also said a new Friday mosque built by a bandits’ kingpin, Halilu Sububu, was also destroyed during the attacks.

He claimed said nobody was trapped in the mosque because the attack happened after worshippers had observed the afternoon prayers.

Another source hinted there was suspicion that the jets used the GPS coordinates of some expensive smartphones stolen from Sokoto that were being charged at the village.

“You know they own Sububu (village). Nobody goes there, not even security personnel and other officials,” he said.

However, a report by PR Nigeria noted airstrikes were executed, on Monday, after some locals alerted security personnel on the arrival and movements of a large number of bandits within Sububu axis.

An intelligence operative disclosed that a reconnaissance aircraft was deployed for spotting, collection of imagery and observation of the bandits, before precision airstrikes were carried out on the targets.

“Following an intelligence, on 12 July 2021, that groups of bandits were amassing around SUBUBU, JAJANI and DAMMAKA, a reconnaissance aircraft was dispatched to recce the area for confirmation before carrying out the airstrikes.

“Accordingly, the A-Jet conducted air recce over the said locations and observed several bandits arriving in droves and taking cover over large trees at the southwestern part of SUBUBU settlement. These targets were subsequently engaged and hit.

“The few surviving bandits were seen fleeing the area. It is estimated that over 125 bandits were neutralized in the attack based on the information we received from our sources around the area,” he said.

Meanwhile, the NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, confirmed the multiple airstrikes on the hideouts of the bandits, and the destruction of their motorcycles.

He, however, kept mum on the human casualties recorded, but specified that the military carried out “the precision airstrikes on the armed bandits after an intelligence and identification of the locations to avoid collateral damages.”

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