The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has issued an urgent appeal to residents of Sokoto State to immediately return explosive materials allegedly looted from the site of the Christmas Day airstrike, warning that the items pose serious danger to the public.
The military raised the alarm following reports that locals had scavenged parts of the munitions from the scene of the incident.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, expressed deep concern over the development.
General Onoja urged community leaders and parents to intervene and ensure the dangerous items are surrendered to security agencies immediately.
“We appeal to them to return all material that may prove harmful to them,” Onoja stated.
“We don’t expect anybody to take this material; we have personnel in the armed forces whose duty is to recover those things.”
The Defence spokesman emphasised that the military is ready to receive the materials without penalty to the returnees, as the priority is public safety.
“We also want you to disseminate to them that they should return them to military or security locations so that we can disarm those things before they cause greater damage to individuals who have taken them and to the other members of the society,” he added.
The appeal comes amidst heightened tensions following the airstrike in the area on December 25, 2025.