The Federal Government says it will conduct a thorough investigation into Wednesday's accidental bombing that killed 10 people in Gidan Bisa and Runtuwa villages of Silame Local Government Area.
The Minister of State and Defense, Bello Matawalle, gave this indication during a condolence visit to Governor Ahmed Aliyu in Sokoto.
He described what happened in the two towns as very regrettable, and assured that exhaustive investigations will be carried out with a view to finding out what really happened, and added that justice will be done in this regard.
“Mr. President is concerned about the unfortunate incident and asked me to come and offer my condolences for what happened,” he said.
The minister also added that at times military airstrikes hit wrong locations due to incorrect information that may have been provided to them during the operations.
However, he said security reports had confirmed that the area where the incident occurred was dominated by Lakurawa bandits.
He lamented the way Nigeria has been placed on red alert for terrorism and reiterated the Federal Government's commitment to making the country safe.
The Minister praised the commitment of Governor Ahmed Aliyu in the fight against banditry and other criminal activities in the state.
According to him, Aliyu was the only governor who voluntarily requested a military base in his state and assured the governor of military support to make Sokoto State safe.
“We will continue to provide all necessary equipment and appliances to Sokoto State,” he assured.
The Minister also made a personal donation of N10 million to the families of the dead and those receiving treatment in the hospital as a result of the injuries they sustained following the ugly attacks.
In response, Governor Aliyu called on the military to improve its intelligence gathering and surveillance to avoid hitting wrong targets.
He praised the army and other security agencies for their commitment to making the state safe.
He thanked President Bola Tinubu for the concern he has shown over the accidental bombing of the two villages in the state.
Governor Aliyu also thanked him for his support to the state in the fight against banditry in the state.
The Governor, according to a statement by Abubakar Bawa, his Press Secretary, also described the accidental bombing of innocent souls as something destined to happen and prayed to Almighty Allah to prevent its recurrence.