Not a Merry Christmas
Nigeria’s military accidentally killed innocent civilians on Christmas day
Good morning, Big Brains. I’d ask if you had a good Christmas, but it feels wrong, given that Nigeria happened to some unfortunate citizens on Christmas day. TW - death, sexual assault.
Margaret
Word count: ~ 800
Reading time ~ 3 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Nigeria’s military ruined Christmas in Sokoto
“It Ends With Us” lawsuit isn’t ending anytime soon
The Big Deal
Nigeria’s military ruined Christmas in Sokoto
Christmas is typically one of the happiest holidays in Nigeria, but everything turned dark after a fighter jet mistakenly bombed two communities in Silame Local Government Area, Sokoto State. The airstrike, which was supposed to target terrorists, left at least 10 innocent villagers dead and several others injured.
The Sokoto State Government confirmed the tragedy on Wednesday, December 25, after the governor’s press secretary, Abubakar Bawa, visited the bombed communities. Governor Ahmed Aliyu called the incident “unfortunate,” explaining that the fighter jets were on a mission to eliminate criminal gangs but somehow turned Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa into collateral damage. He promised a “thorough investigation” to figure out how this “avoidable mistake” happened so that it wouldn’t repeat itself.
Meanwhile, the chairman of Silame LGA, Abubakar Mohammed Daftarana, said the jets were targeting Lakurawa terrorists but accidentally hit the villages. As of now, the exact death toll and number of injured are still unclear as officials are assessing the damage.
In true Nigerian fashion, getting the police to comment on the incident was impossible. The state police spokesman’s number wasn’t connecting—we can’t say we’re surprised.
Why is this a big deal?
In the space of one year, over 600,000 innocent Nigerians have lost their lives to insecurity. You don’t need to be Mother Theresa to admit that the last thing the country needs is a reckless accident that increases the already high death toll.
If you’re wondering what the military has been doing since the news broke, they’ve been playing the “deny and deflect” game. Lieutenant Colonel Abubakar Abdullahi, military spokesperson, didn’t confirm if the jets bombed civilian areas. Instead, he hinted that reports of civilian casualties could be “media disinformation” aimed at undermining their success.
According to him, all operations are based on thorough intelligence and reconnaissance. He added that the targeted areas near Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa were linked to the Lakurawa terrorists, not civilians. The lack of accountability from the Nigerian police and military force suggests that getting justice for the dead villagers might be a long or even hopeless shot. It’s bad enough that Nigerian citizens need to deal with the emergence of a new terrorist group. Now, a new fear of being killed because of a few people’s mistakes has been unlocked.
These are the things we’d hate to see in 2025.
“It Ends With Us” lawsuit isn’t ending anytime soon
If you’ve seen the movie It Ends With Us or read the book, there’s a high chance that you’ll never be able to look at it the same way after the disturbing insight into what happened behind the scenes.
Last week, actress Blake Lively filed a complaint accusing her co-star and director Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment, alongside claims of a smear campaign against her.
According to Lively’s complaint, the alleged on-set behaviour was as unprofessional as it gets. She accuses Baldoniis of making inappropriate comments about his sex life and pushing for sex scenes that weren’t in the script (and weren’t agreed to). She also added that the lead producer, Jamey Heath, was allegedly caught watching Lively while she was topless despite being told to look away.
On Monday, December 23, Amber Heard officially joined the growing list of Lively’s supporters, calling out what she described as a coordinated effort to tarnish the Gossip Girl star’s name.
Other celebrities like America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel released a joint statement on Instagram, saying they were “appalled” by the evidence of what they called a “premeditated and vindictive effort” to silence Lively. “As Blake’s friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity,” they wrote.
This isn’t the first time the movie has been associated with disturbing, unscripted drama. Baldoni and Lively were barely ever seen on the same red carpet or in interviews during movie promotions despite being the leading characters. Even though the case is still in its earliest stage, Baldoni was dropped by his talent agency after the allegations became public.
The Big Picks
Jigawa Gov Namadi Loses Son 24 Hours After Mother’s Death: The family of Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi has been thrown into mourning following the tragic loss of his eldest son, Abdulwahab Umar Namadi, in a fatal car crash.
Atiku Condemns Killing Of ‘Innocent Citizens’ In Sokoto Airstrike: Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized Wednesday’s airstrike in Sokoto State that claimed around 10 lives.