Sokoto Strikes: DHQ Attributes Death of ‘About 10 Persons’ to Secondary Explosion

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) explains that the Sokoto strikes caused a secondary explosion, leading to the tragic death of approximately 10 individuals.

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has attributed the deaths of “approximately ten individuals” after strikes in Sokoto to what it referred to as a “secondary explosion.”

A few days ago, the Sokoto Government reported that ten villagers were killed and others injured following military strikes in the Silame Local Government Area of the state.

However, Major General Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, stated that the deaths and injuries resulted from “secondary explosions” rather than being directly caused by the strikes.

“During a briefing at the DHQ in Abuja on Friday, he said, ‘Earlier, I mentioned secondary explosions. One of the targets was a terrorist logistics base within the community, which included arms caches and supplies stored there.’”

Therefore, it’s expected that when the munition impacts, a secondary explosion will occur. This results in debris being propelled through the air, which led to the reported deaths of approximately 10 people. These individuals were not directly struck by the air strikes.

“The Lakurawa terrorist groups, who were directly impacted by the air strikes, suffered severe burns making them unrecognizable.”

According to Buba, the military verified that the strikes successfully targeted and hit the terrorist group.

He explained that to ensure the individuals observed at the location were indeed members of the Lakurawa terrorist group, they deployed human intelligence. Upon receiving confirmation from these operatives, a joint and synchronized operation was conducted in collaboration with both Air Force and ground forces.

The Air Force conducted precision strikes using advanced munitions. Following the attacks, ground forces moved into the area to assess the situation and confirmed that the targets were successfully hit.

However, Buba did not verify the number of casualties resulting from the strikes, which continue to elicit reactions from Nigerians.

Those who were killed in the airstrikes have since been buried following Islamic customs.