A bomb released by an Air Force jet reportedly killed some residents of the Kunkunna community of Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State on Tuesday afternoon.
The lawmaker representing Safana constituency at the Katsina State House of Assembly, AbdulJalal Runka, who confirmed the accident to reporters in Katsina said only one woman was killed by the bomb. He added that 14 others who sustained injuries from the attack are receiving treatment at a hospital.
He said the fighter jet was trying to locate bandits who were grouping in Kwanar Dutse from where they intended to launch an attack.
He said, “What actually happened is that it was that jet (Air force fighter jet) that released the bomb there and there were casualties. 14 people were affected and they were quickly taken to the hospital.
“Eight persons were admitted at the Umaru Musa Yar’adu’a University Teaching Hospital (formerly Federal Medical Centre Katsina).
“The woman who died was one of those admitted at the FMC. Six people are in Dutsin Ma General Hospital. The eight persons were also taken to Dutsin Ma but because of the critical situation of their wounds, they were referred to the FMC here in Katsina.”
Mr Runka added that were yet to receive an official statement on the accident from the Nigeria Air Force Base in Katsina.
Another source who pleaded anonymity at the Yariman Katsina (District Head of Safana) office said six other victims of the bomb blast who were being treated at the General Hospital Dutsin Ma have all died.
“I can confirm that the six people who were receiving medical attention in Dutsin Ma have all died. One of them died before reaching the hospital. But there are also eight more people in Federal Medical Centre Katsina receiving medical treatment.
“It’s a usual thing to most of the people in the area seeing fighter jets going into the Rugu forest side but yesterday, it was different because the fighter jet dropped the bomb before reaching the forest side,” the source said.
