Report: Over 300 civilians killed since 2017 by NAF mishaps

Accidental strikes by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) have killed over 300 civilians in the country, says a new report by SBM Intelligence.

In the report titled “Air Force Mishaps” released on Monday, SBM said the incidents happened in pursuit of terrorists.

SBM Intelligence, a research organisation, compiles and analyses data about happenings in the country.

The report said the mistakes had risen in the last two years with little acknowledgment from the air force.

SBM listed Yobe, Borno, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, and Niger as the worst-hit states.

In January, TheCable reported that an airstrike in Doma, a community that connects Nasarawa and Benue states, killed 37 people. 

SBM said the incident was the latest in the “pattern of impunity that has come to colour military operations in Nigeria”.

SOME NIGERIAN AIR FORCE MISHAPS

On January 17, 2017, about 52 people were killed while 120 others sustained injuries after the NAF jet accidentally bombed an internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp in Rann, Borno.

On April 13, 2020, 17 people, including children, were killed after a NAF fighter jet bombed Sakotoku village in Damboa LGA of Borno.

On April 2022, a NAF fighter jet reportedly killed six children, when it fired a bomb targeted at terrorists in Kurebe village in Shiroro LGA of Niger state.

Another 13 residents were wounded while one other died after a NAF fighter jet struck Kunkuna village in Safana LGA of Katsina, on July 7, 2022.

In October 2022, Oladayo Amao, chief of air staff, said investigations into the accidental airstrikes on civilians during military operations had commenced.

Measures would be put in place to mitigate future mishaps, the air chief had assured.