By Ghazali Ibrahim
Several civilians have reportedly lost their lives following a military airstrike on Guradnayi village, located near Kusasu in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, in the early hours of Sunday.
The incident marks another troubling case in a string of accidental airstrikes impacting rural communities in Nigeria’s conflict-prone regions.
According to reports by Premium Times, residents said the strike occurred around 5 a.m., shortly after armed terrorists riding motorcycles were seen moving through the area.
A resident of Kusasu, Auta Awododo, disclosed that at least 12 people were killed inside a relative’s home in Guradnayi.
“It happened around 5 a.m.,” he said, adding that one of the victims was his cousin’s son. “Twelve people were killed in his house. The rest were Kusasu people who were fleeing from the terrorists.”
Locals claimed that military aircraft had been tracking the movement of suspected terrorists prior to the strike. One resident explained that the first bomb was dropped near a river in Kusasu, while a second explosion occurred in Guradnayi.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Air Force has not issued an official statement regarding the incident.
