US Airstrike Hits Peaceful Sokoto Community, Residents Say No Terrorist Presence

Residents of Birikini, a rural settlement in Jabo District of Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, were thrown into panic on Thursday night after a United States airstrike hit an open farm field in the community.

Eyewitnesses said a projectile was seen descending from the sky around 10Pm before it exploded on cultivated farmland on the outskirts of the village. The blast scattered shrapnel across the area but caused no casualties.

Ismali Umar, a resident of Jabo recounted his experience from the night of the airstrike.

“I was sitting at a joint when we saw a reddish item falling from the sky, illuminating the community. Suddenly, we heard a loud bang.”

“People thought it was an aircraft that fell, and no one could sleep throughout the night.”

Residents of Jabo have insisted that the location struck was not a militant hideout and has no history of terrorist activity but a peaceful place which has remained that way for years.

An elderly resident, Musa Dandare, described the incident as unprecedented.

“It was the first time we heard what a bomb sounded like in this community,”

He added that they have lived in the community peacefully for years, praying that this new event would not bring calamity to them. Locals reiterated that they have not noticed any form of terrorist activities in the area for years, let alone the Islamic State operations that might call for such an airstrike.

While US authorities claimed the strike targeted ISIS fighters, security analysts note that extremist groups operating in northwestern Nigeria are active mainly in border communities such as Tangaza, Gudu and Silame, not in Tambuwal LGA.

Conflict data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) show that Tambuwal LGA has recorded only a few minor violent incidents since 2010, with no history of terrorist operations in Jabo.

Local chief Aliyu Garba warned residents against handling remnants of the explosion and urged them to leave the durbis to security operatives to handle stating that some of the materials are dangerous.

Residents expressed fear that the strike could expose their peaceful community to future security risks.