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From John Adams, Minna
As Nigerian Air Force continues its airstrikes on bandits’ locations in parts of Niger State, recording huge successes in recent time, the state government has debunked reports of civilian casualties from these airstrikes. The state government though acknowledged the ongoing military operations in some communities in Shiroro, Munya, Paikoro, Rafi and Mariga Local Government areas with a view to flushing out the gunmen, the reports in some social media platform suggesting that some civilians were killed in the airstrikes by the Nigerian Air force is not only untrue but misleading.
“The attention of the Niger State Government has been drawn to a report making the rounds on social media and other media platforms suggesting that some civilians were killed at Kurebe in Shiroro Local Government Area as a result of the ongoing air and ground operations by the military and other security agencies in the state”.
A youth association, Coalition of Shiroro Associations (COSA) had in a statement by its spokesperson, Salis M Sabo Esq alleged that a fighter jet belonging to the Nigerian Air Force killed six children in Kurebe, Shiroro Local Government of the State.
The association in the statement claimed that the incident occurred on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 in the morning when the children were coming back from where they had gone to fetch water from a motorised borehole within the Kurebe community. But, the state government in a statement in Minna on Friday by the Commissioner for Local Government and Internal Security, Emmanuel Umar, said there is no single civilian in Kurebe community for some times now due to the activities of the gunmen, and wondered which civilians were killed by airstrikes.
The Niger State Government said it welcomes the ongoing military operations in neighbouring states and in some local government areas of the state, which included Shiroro, Munya, and other local government areas, aimed at neutralising the bandits/terrorist in these environments.
