Residents, NAF disagree as airstrike kills scores in Kaduna

• 23 worshippers among victims – Locals

• We only hit terrorists’ base – Air Force

• State government silent

From Maryam Ahmadu-Suka, Mohammed I. Yaba (Kaduna) & Idowu Isamotu (Abuja) 

The residents of Jika da Kolo village of Yadin Kidandan in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) yesterday differed on the killing of scores of persons in an airstrike in the area on Friday.

While residents alleged that the victims included 23 worshippers at a mosque and others at a market in the area, the NAF claimed that the airstrike was only “rained” on the logistics base of terrorists.

The Air Force authority said that scores of terrorists were confirmed killed during the strike, but claimed that there was no mosque in the area.

But some residents, who spoke to Daily Trust, said among the victims included farmers and children who had gathered around the mosque that day.

They said the latest incident was akin to the December 3, 2023 Air Force bomb attack at Tudun Biri in the same Kaduna State, which killed about 100 people.

Multiple sources at Kidandan village told our correspondents yesterday that an airplane dropped the bomb in the area.

According to them, the strike disfigured the bodies of most of those affected.

They said that 23 mutilated bodies “gathered from the scene” had been buried according to Islamic rites.

One of the community leaders, who pleaded for anonymity for fear of his safety, and who also participated in the funeral rites, said: “We gathered body parts of 23 people who were identified by relatives, including children and they have been buried.

“Of course, Yadin Kidandan is a danger zone because it is under the control of bandits. But there are also innocent villagers who still live around there because they have no other place to go just like the casualties that we witnessed on Friday.

“So, we discovered that when the strike occurred, most of the people at the mosque died.

“It was a crowded place because there was a local market close to the mosque which was also affected. The incident happened around 2pm”, the resident said.

Another villager at Kidandan, who simply identified himself as Malam, said: “Yes; it is true that there was a strike by a plane on Friday at a mosque in Jika da Kolo village that claimed many lives, including a few from our village who went to their farms or to do business at the local market close to the mosque.

“Many people were killed, among them farmers and children who had gathered around the mosque”, he said.

He added: “We heard when the plane arrived; it dropped something and a moment later, we heard a loud sound because I was in a nearby village. Thereafter, family members of the victims went to the scene and recognided their relatives for the funeral”, Malam said.

Labaran Hamidu, who also said he participated in the funeral prayers, said the incident reminded them of the Tudun Biri incident.

“It was a black Friday indeed,” he said. “We lost many of our loved ones, including innocent children.

“Our prayer is that the federal and Kaduna State governments should investigate this incident. It shouldn’t be allowed to be swept under the carpet.

“Most of us are still living around these areas because we don’t have any other place to move to. Our grandparents were born here.

“With little investigation, those who threw the bomb should have established that the bandits don’t live within the villages; they are in the bushes….It is a difficult moment for us,” he said.

The councilor representing the area, Abdullahi Ismail, also confirmed the incident, describing the area as a danger zone because of the activities of the bandits.

Our airstrikes only destroyed terrorists’ base–NAF

Deputy Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Group Captain Kabiru Ali, told Daily Trust last night that the airstrikes were only rained on the logistics base of terrorists.

Ali, who said there was no mosque in the area, shared with Daily Trust, pictorial evidence of how the location was before and after the operation.

He said the operation was carried out following credible intelligence indicating a huge presence of terrorists and their weapons cache in the Yadi Forest.

He said reports from independent sources, including local informants around the general area, confirmed that the logistics base was totally destroyed and scores of terrorists were killed as a result of the attack.

When told about the residents’ claim of a mosque around the area, he asked: “But, among the pictures of the strikes, did you notice any mosque around the area?”

He said: “Intensive intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance confirmed the consistent presence of terrorists and their motorcycles at the location.

“Additional intelligence revealed that the logistics base belonged to the notorious terrorist kingpin Kadade Gurgu, a close ally of Dogo Gide.

“Furthermore, available intelligence at the disposal of the NAF Air Component revealed that Kadade Gurgu has been providing shelter for notorious terrorist kingpins following the aggressive military operations in Sokoto and Zamfara states.

“Accordingly, the Air Component dispatched an aircraft, supported by an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform, to attack the target. The target area initially appeared uninhabited.

“However, as the aircraft approached, some of the terrorists were seen emerging from under the shrubbery and running away from the area.

“Subsequently, the targets were engaged, recording successful hits on the logistics facility, which was engulfed in flames with thick black smoke seen.

“Reports from independent sources, including local informants around the general area, later confirmed that the logistics base was totally destroyed and scores of terrorists were killed as a result of the attack.

“The Nigerian Air Force, in collaboration with surface forces, will continue to dominate the battlespace through extensive situational awareness, constant patrols, and targeted interdiction of bandits’ safe havens within its area of responsibility and neighbouring states”, he said.  He said the aim was to decimate and flush out terrorism and criminal activities within the North-west and North-central geopolitical zones.

Kaduna government silent

The Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, neither answered calls nor replied to a text message sent to his mobile telephone one of our correspondents seeking his reaction over the incident.