The Emir of Anka, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmad Muhammad, has reaffirmed the allegation by the Zamfara council of Chiefs that innocent villagers were killed during various air raids by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) across different communities in the state.
This comes following reports that the monarchs made a U-turn on the allegation and apologized to the force.
Speaking with reporters in his palace in Anka local government area of Zamfara state, Muhammad insisted that those killed were mostly innocent villagers, saying a list of casualties has been sent to the Chief of Air Staff Air Marshall Sadiq Baba Abubakar through a delegation led by AVM Lubo, which was in Zamfara state for facts finding mission.
He claimed that the Air Force chief, through the delegation, submitted an apology letter to the traditional rulers, arguing such collateral damages were not uncommon during military operations.
“What we are saying is that we are not in confrontation with anybody, be it the Nigerian Air Force or any government at any level.
“But innocent people are being killed in the cause of raiding bandits. It is our duty to draw the attention of the authorities concerned so that they check on where they went wrong.
“We are custodians of respected traditional institutions. We are custodians of the people’s trust.
“We are expected to protect the positive interest of our people, we are law abiding citizens. How can any one of us engage negatively in the activities of outlaws?”
He also lamented that Air Force personnel do not also bother to carry out mop actions after the raids, making the bandits to return with more vicious attacks.
No comments:
Post a Comment