Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the Nigerian Military’s accidental bombing on December 25, which reportedly claimed 10 lives and injured six others in Rumtuwa and Gidan Sama, two villages in the Silame Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The affected villages, located near the Surame desert, a known hideout for the emerging Lakurawa terror group suffered significant losses, with an estimated 100 animals, including camels, cows, and donkeys, killed in the attack.
Reacting to the incident on the social media platform X, Atiku, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described the airstrike as “an outrage that must be condemned in the strongest terms.”
He criticized the apparent lack of lessons learned from past mistakes, referencing a December 3, 2023, airstrike on a religious gathering in Tudun Biri, near Kaduna, which he said resulted in the deaths of tens of innocent people. Atiku emphasized the need for precision and credible intelligence in anti-terror operations, declaring that “the indiscriminate killing of innocent citizens… can never be justified.”
The former Vice President called for an end to the “tragic cycle of death” and urged the government to prioritize learning from its errors. He also extended his condolences to the bereaved families and the people of Sokoto, stating, “May the souls of the departed rest in eternal peace.”
His words: The devastating airstrike that claimed the lives of nearly a dozen innocent civilians and left many others wounded in the peaceful communities of Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa in Sokoto State is an outrage that must be condemned in the strongest terms.
But this tragedy begs the question: What have we truly learnt from the heart-wrenching losses of the past? On December 3, 2023, tens of innocent lives were lost in a brutal airstrike on a religious gathering at Tudun Biri, near Kaduna. How many more lives must be lost before we take action?
While targeting terrorists is a legitimate goal, these strikes must be carried out with unmatched precision and based on irrefutable intelligence. The indiscriminate killing of innocent citizens—our brothers, our sisters, our neighbors—can never be justified. It is not only a failure but a gross violation of humanity itself.
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When those who are meant to be our partners in the fight against terrorism are instead treated as targets, we are sowing the seeds of further division and anger. We cannot expect them to see a difference between those who protect them and those who harm them when they are caught in the crossfire.
We must stop this tragic cycle of death. The only way forward is to learn from the past, to make sure that every life is valued, and to ensure no more families have to mourn the loss of loved ones to senseless violence.
To the grieving families and the people of Sokoto, my heart goes out to you. May the souls of the departed rest in eternal peace. Amin. -AA
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