A military airstrike conducted in the early hours of Sunday has reportedly killed several terrorists and suspected informants in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
Sources familiar with the development told The PUNCH that the operation also affected some persons in Kusasu community, one of the villages within the LGA, amid conflicting accounts over the actual number of casualties.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that no fewer than 12 persons died in one of the houses targeted during the operation, which reportedly took place around 5 a.m.
“It happened around 5 a.m. No fewer than 12 people were killed in one of the residences in Shiroro,” the source said.
However, the Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Security, Mr Maurice Magaji, confirmed the airstrike but maintained that those killed were terrorists and their informants, insisting that no civilian casualty was recorded.
Speaking on Sunday, Magaji described the operation as successful, adding that prior warnings had been issued to residents in the affected area to vacate.
“It was a very successful military action against the terrorists. No civilian was killed. The only people killed were the terrorists and their informants in Shiroro,” he said.
“Before the military operation began, we warned civilians to evacuate, which they did. The only people left were the terrorists and their informants, and the informants are also terrorists. Anybody who was there must have been informants.”
He explained that the operation was part of ongoing efforts to dismantle terrorist networks operating in the area, noting that security agencies were still monitoring developments on the ground.
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“You know how these terrorists operate. Their strategy is to divide themselves and attack communities. We ensured that they were targeted,” the commissioner added.
Security operations in Shiroro and other parts of Niger State have continued in recent months amid repeated attacks and counter-insurgency offensives by the military.
