Zamfara air strikes: We’re compiling dead civilians’ names, Emirs reply NAF

The Zamfara State Council of Chiefs again on Sunday berated the
Nigerian Air Force over the bombing of innocent villagers in the
state.

The Emir of Bungudu and spokesman for the traditional rulers,
Alhaji Hassan Attahiru, in a telephone interview with one of our
correspondents, restated the position of council that NAF
“concocted names and figure” of neutralised bandits

He said the traditional rulers had accepted NAF’s challenge to
provide the names of civilian victims killed during its air strikes
on supposed bandits’ hideouts. He said a list of innocent people
killed by the bombing was being compiled.

The News Agency of Nigeria had on Thursday reported that the
council of chiefs after a meeting in Gusau, the Zamfara State
capital, said many innocent villagers had been killed in
misdirected air strikes by the military in the ongoing fight
against bandits in the state.

The traditional rulers had said, “The council noted that air
strikes undertaken by the military do not hit the main camps of the
bandits.

“Reports from Mutu in the Tsafe Local Government Area, Tangaram
in the Anka Local Government Area and Dumburum in the Zurmi Local
Government Area, among others, are that the areas shelled were not
the actual hideouts of the bandits and the victims were innocent
civilians.”

But on Friday, NAF faulted the traditional rulers and challenged
them to provide evidence of dead civilians.