…DHQ dismisses claims

Over 70 civilians were reportedly killed by Nigerian Air Force strikes on a weekly market in Tumfa in the Zurmi Local Government Area in Zamfara State on Sunday.

But the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) dismissed reports alleging that civilians were killed during the operation, insisting that they successfully targeted terrorists and neutralised about 70 of them. Former Councillor of the Mashema Ward Ibrahim Mashema said the incident happened around 1pm.

He said: “Victims of the bombings have already been conveyed to hospitals in Gusau. “We are now busy burying the dead, the exercise which may take us up to Tuesday or even Wednesday.

“We are calling for the state government to swiftly draw the attention of the Federal Government to the incident. But in a statement yesterday, Sulaiman Bala Idris, spokesman for Governor Dauda Lawal, said the airstrikes followed an intelligence report that confirmed the terrorists had assembled at a concealed location in Tumfa, with the intention to carry out attacks targeting residents.

He said: “Following the encounter, troops effectively neutralised three gang leaders and recovered a cache of weapons and ammunition, which included an AK-47 rifle, a machine gun, a fabricated handgun, seven rifle magazines, and a total of 571 rounds of ammunition.”

In a statement, the Director of Defence Media Operations Major Gen. Michael Onoja said post-strike intelligence assessments and verified local reports indicated that the operation achieved its objectives, with terrorists seen removing the bodies of their dead associates for burial, while more than 200 armed fighters mounted on motorcycles reportedly retreating towards Zango.