Nigerian Air Force silent 48 hours after bombing many civilians in Borno

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has remained silent two days after its airstrikes reportedly killed civilians in an island in Borno State.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that NAF, in the operations believed to be supported by the United States, mistakenly struck twice at mostly fishermen and commercial drivers around Mararaba in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.

The victims were gathered at the junction between the road to Daban Masara in Kukawa and Badeiri in Marte LGA. Vehicles belonging to the drivers were also destroyed in the operation that left many injured.

The number of casualties remained unknown as of press time, although a security researcher estimated that 200 people were involved in the mishap.

A security source told this newspaper that the area bombed has long been under the control of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a second breakaway faction of Boko Haram.

Multiple sources told this newspaper that injured victims were taken to the General Hospital in Mungono.

Although civilians live in the area, this newspaper understands that ISWAP has established its “daula” or strongholds around the island, coordinating fishing and farming activities.

The group imposes a monthly tax of N40,000 on farmers and fishermen for access to the area.

While the money is for a tally card required to access the area, civilians like fishermen are further taxed N5,000 per fish carton.

Air Force silent

The NAF has not acknowledged the mishap, though a NAF pilot confirmed it to our reporter.

The strikes came barely 24 hours after it assured civilians of safety in its operations.

Even though a statement reportedly issued by NAF’s spokesperson Ehimen Ejodame, claimed to have targeted terrorists and vehicles in the area, that statement has not been published on the NAF’s social media handles as were information on its operations in Katsina, Borno and Zamfara

Mr Ejodame did not respond to calls when contacted for comments about the accidental bombing. A text message sent to him had not been responded to.

‘We haven’t gotten any details’ – Borno govt

The Borno State government said NAF had not responded to its enquiries about the aoperations.

The state’s Commissioner for Information, Usman Tar, a professor, said he contacted the Air Force, but has “not gotten any details from them.”

“They are still investigating,” the commissioner said.

Previous bombing

Since the 2014 bombing that killed more than 30 people in a Borno village, the NAF has conducted at least 16 operations in error.

According to a Reuters analysis of the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a US-based crisis monitoring group, more than 2,600 people, mostly civilians, were killed in 248 air strike incidents outside the Northeastern terror-ravaged areas, which conflict experts refer to as BAY [Borno, Adamawa and Yobe].

In 2017, the Air Force killed about 50 refugees and injured 200 others in another accident in Rann, a village in Kala-Balge LGA, Borno State.

In April 2022, it also bombed six girls in Kurebe, a terror-ravaged village in Shiroro LGA, Niger State. Four months later, it returned to the village, killing eight more people in yet another accidental airstrike.