“The recent killing of 16 persons by an accidental airstrike in Zamfara State has raised concerns about the Nigerian Air Force’s incessant bombing of innocent citizens the military is supposed to protect”, wrote Davidson Iriekpen in an article Worrisome Accidental Airstrikes by NAF, published days ago by ThisDay Newspaper .
The PUNCH in its Editorial of 20th January 2025 had this to say: “The recent killing of 40 farmers in Baga, Kukawa Local Government Area, Borno State, by Boko Haram over claims that they were informants of security operatives further foregrounds communal distrust. The recent and past ambush of military operatives by terrorists complicates the situation.
“The military seems compromised from within so it must embark on thorough house cleaning to activate a reliable whistleblowing system. These reports tend to erode the trust that communities have in the military, stifling local intelligence gathering and making them negotiate with terrorists.
“Nigeria is ranked eighth among 89 countries on the 2024 Global Terrorism Index by the global non-profit, Institute for Economics and Peace. Due to the unabating violence meted out to citizens by Boko Haram, ISWAP, and others, it shares the abysmal profile with troubled countries like Burkina Faso, Israel, Mali, Pakistan, Syria, Afghanistan, and Somalia.
“Urgently, Nigeria must review its intelligence-gathering system to combat unconventional warfare.”
Disturbed but the dedication of innocent citizens in the bid to hunt down terrorists, Chris Kwaja, Country Director of the United States Institute of Peace shared his thoughts.
“While military response to organised crimes such as insurgency, banditry, secessionist movements and other forms of criminality has been applauded, there is a real challenge to this response. It’s simply about the harm against the civilian population. Either in the form of collateral damage, direct military assaults, or air-to-ground attacks that are often described as “mistakes”.
“While human errors might sometimes be understood under such situations, the frequency with which they occur raises questions about the extent of planning that goes into such efforts. The call by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Chris Musa, on the need for the military to protect, rather than harm civilians, is commendable; but, there is an urgent need for armed forces to develop a comprehensive military strategy on ‘Civilian Harm Mitigation and Action Response Plan’.
“The plan should capture issues around the duty and obligation of the military as they plan, command and control, rights of citizens and redress mechanisms among others.”
Below is the full text of Davidson Iriekpen‘s article on accidental airstrikes.
Again, innocent lives were reported lost when a Nigeria Air Force (NAF) airstrike mistakenly killed at least 16 people, including members of a local vigilante group in Kakindawa village, Maradun Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara State.
Incidentally, the LGA is the hometown of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.
Confirming the incident, an indigene of the area, Garba Umar, claimed that the airstrike occurred penultimate Saturday evening when members of the village’s vigilante group were on their way to assist the Tungar Kara village, which were being attacked by bandits.
“Unfortunately, as the vigilante group was about to reach the village, an aircraft suddenly appeared and dropped a bomb on them; even though the bandits had already escaped into the forest. We counted 16 people killed in the bombardment, including my son,” he reportedly explained.
As soon as the incident happened, NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshall Olusola Akinboyewa, said there was no credible report of civilian casualties during the operation, insisting that the air strikes were based on reliable intelligence.
He added that troops of Operation Fansan Yamma carried out a coordinated air and ground assault on Fakai Hills in Zamfara State, neutralising scores of bandits loyal to notorious kingpin, Kachallah Bello Turji.
However, the Zamfara State government debunked NAF’s claim.
While admitting that there were civilian casualties, the spokesman to Governor Lawal Dauda, Sulaiman Bala, further expressed regrets that “some members of the Civilian Joint Task Force and local vigilantes were also affected during the operation in Tungar Kara, resulting in the loss of lives.
“We pray to Almighty Allah to grant them Jannah. The state government extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of the fallen JTF personnel and assures them that the sacrifices of the deceased will not go in vain. The government will provide necessary support and assistance to the bereaved families,” the governor’s aide said.
Hours later, NAF’s spokesman, Akinboyewa made a U-turn, expressing “deep concern” over allegations that the operation resulted in the unintended deaths of local vigilantes.
In a statement, he assured the public that a comprehensive investigation was underway to establish the facts and ensure accountability, adding that the findings would be communicated to the public in due course.
“As a responsible and professional custodian of airpower for the security of the nation, the NAF believes in the absolute value of the life of every Nigerian. While our mission in the North-west remains to combat banditry and restore peace, the safety and well-being of all Nigerians are of utmost importance,” the statement added.
Nigeria has a sad history of military airstrikes on innocent civilians. In some cases, the military later blamed the communities for harbouring kidnappers.
According to SBM Intelligence, a pan-African consulting firm, NAF carried out 17 accidental air strikes between January 2014 and September 2024, killing about 500 people. Such cases of airstrikes targeting civilians are subjects of ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Before the latest incident in Zamfara State, there was the Christmas Day airstrikes that killed 10 civilians in Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa in neighbouring Silame LGA of Sokoto State.
Although NAF claimed those killed in the Sokoto communities were terrorists, it later vowed to probe the bombing following an outcry by families of the victims.
However, nothing has been heard since them, which is expected in a situation where the accused is always the one that investigates an alleged crime.
In Nigeria, the military, police and other security agencies have continued to act with impunity because the government allows them to investigate the crimes they commit against the civilian population and sit as judges in their own cases.
Many Nigerians have wondered why the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) doesn’t take over the investigation of alleged crimes committed by the military and other security agencies.
That’s why most of the incidents are not investigated.
In the cases that were investigated, the results of these investigations were swept under the carpet or shrouded in secrecy with no one held accountable for the crimes.
For instance, nine farmers reportedly lost their lives at Buwari village in Yobe State on September 16, 2021, in an airstrike by troops targeting terrorists. Later the same month, 20 fishermen died in a similar incident at Kwatar Daban Mascara in Borno State.
Again, six children were reportedly killed in an airstrike that occurred at Kuragba, Shiroro LGA, Niger State, on April 20, 2022.
On July 6, 2022, a similar airstrike killed two persons at Kunkunni village, Safana LGA, Katsina State. On December 17, 2022, no fewer than 60 villagers died in a military airstrike at Mutunji community, Dausadau Emirate in Maru LGA, Zamfara State.
Reports further revealed that on January 24, 2023, 18 persons died in an airstrike by troops at Galkogo, Shiroro LGA, Niger State. Another airstrike also reportedly claimed 40 lives at Rukubi village in Doma LGA, Nasarawa State, on January 25, 2023.
On March 3, 2023, three persons lost their lives to a military airstrike at Sabon Gida village, Fatika district Giwa of Kaduna State.
In August 2023, a woman was also reportedly killed in an airstrike at Kwaki community in Shiroro LGA of Niger State.
On Sunday, December 3, 2023, an accidental military airstrike killed over 100 civilians and injured many others who converged on Tundun Biri, Kaduna State, for the Maulud celebration.
Twenty-four persons were reportedly killed in a military airstrike at Jika da Kolo village in Giwa LGA, Kaduna State on September 27, 2024.
In December 2023, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, vowed that air strikes would no longer be conducted in a manner that would claim the lives of civilians, noting that the military must protect Nigerians and not kill them.
Despite this promise by the CDS, the situation has not changed.
Many have argued that it is not a case of terrorists using the villagers as human shields but that the NAF pilots are either not diligent or outrightly incompetent.
While it is believed that the military cannot battle terrorists in any part of the world without the military personnel themselves or innocent civilians becoming victims of ‘friendly fire,’ the incessant bombing of innocent villagers by the Nigerian military is unacceptable.
Amnesty International had condemned the latest incident, urging the Nigerian authorities to investigate it immediately and impartially.
“The Nigerian authorities’ consistent failure to hold the military to account is encouraging impunity and increasingly endangering the lives of the civilians the military is supposed to be protecting,” it wrote on X.
The Nigerian government should stop the military from investigating itself and sitting as judge over its cases.
The military should be held accountable for these periodic accidental airstrikes.
