The Yobe State Government has dismissed reports circulating online that an airstrike targeted residents of Geidam Local Government Area(LGA), insisting the military operation was deliberate and aimed at a terrorist hideout.
In a statement on Sunday, the Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor Mai Mala Buni, Brig Gen Dahiru Abdulsalam (retd), said the government was compelled to respond to what it described as misleading claims capable of causing public panic.
According to the statement, the Air Component of the Joint Task Force (North-East), under Operation HADIN KAI, carried out a precision airstrike on Saturday, 11 April 2025.
The target was Jilli, identified by security agencies as a long-established stronghold of Boko Haram, located in Gubio Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State.
Abdulsalam stressed that the mission was intelligence-led and formed part of sustained efforts to degrade terrorist networks operating in the North-East.
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He said reports suggesting the strike was accidental or that it targeted Geidam residents were "entirely false."
"The airstrike was not a mistake," the statement said, adding that it was conducted with clear operational objectives against insurgent elements.
The government, however, acknowledged that some civilians from Geidam Local Government Area (LGA) of Yobe State, who had travelled to the weekly market in Jilli near the Borno–Yobe border, were inadvertently affected during the operation.
Those injured were evacuated to Geidam Specialist Hospital, where they are receiving medical attention, the statement said.
The Yobe State Government reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with security agencies to protect lives and property.
It urged residents to ignore unverified reports that could heighten fear or spread confusion.