By Adedokun Theophilus
THE Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has cautioned civilians to avoid harbouring suspected criminals or be ready to face the consequences of their actions.
Speaking during a visit to the troops of Operation FASAN YANMA at 8 Division Headquarters in Sokoto, the CDS explained that this was in response to the Christmas day bombing of civilians in two communities in the Silame Local Government by the Nigerian Air Force.
Musa noted that the villagers could be blamed for allegedly harbouring terrorists, emphasising that the military would not take any responsibility for attacks on any community hobnobbing with the militants.
He stated, “I want to call on everyone not to harbour any suspected criminals in their midst, be it Lakurawa or Bandits, they should expose them and leave their vicinity.
“The military is not going to take it lightly with any criminals disturbing the peace of the nation, we are dealing with them and we are coming for the rest.
“We have individuals that still harbour them and once you do that you are making yourself a legitimate target. We will appeal, do not harbour them, do not live with them to avoid being a legitimate target.
“Please, do not hang around them, do not give them any support in whatever ways because once you do that, you are making yourself a target.’’
He stressed, “The incident that happened yesterday was an operation we did, we follow up and we try as much as we can to avoid any mistakes; if there are other mistakes that came up in the operation, we will investigate.
“We did our homework, we have the video of everything that happened and we are going to investigate”
Pleading on the media to avoid giving bandits and other criminal elements much publicity, the CDS stressed that the country would not allow any foreign military base on Nigerian soil.
He, however, called Niger, Chad, Benin and other neighbouring countries to cooperate with Nigeria in dealing with the enemies of peace.
Meanwhile, Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Sokoto governor, Aminu Tambuwal, have demanded an impartial investigation into the incident.
Their demand followed an airstrike targeted to neutralize Lakurawa terrorists but killed at least 10 villagers and left several others wounded in Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa communities.
In a separate statement on X.com late Wednesday, Aliyu conveyed his condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the attack, describing the event as “heartbreaking” and an “avoidable loss of life.”
His statement partly read, “This heartbreaking event, caused by an accidental misfire from the Nigerian Army, has claimed the lives of innocent citizens and left several others injured.
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“As your governor, I am deeply saddened by this avoidable loss of life. On behalf of the government and the people of Sokoto State, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones. We also pray for the swift recovery of those injured in this unfortunate incident.”
“The donation is intended to provide financial support for funeral arrangements and medical bills for those still recovering in hospitals due to their injuries,” he wrote.
Aliyu also reassured the public that he is in constant communication with the leadership of the Nigerian Army to ensure a full investigation into the circumstances that led to the tragedy.
“The state government will take all necessary steps to support the affected families and collaborate with relevant authorities to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future,” he added.
The governor announced a donation of N20 million and 100 bags of assorted food items for the grieving families.
