Air Force Misfire: Death Toll Rises by Two

• PDP deplores action •Human Rights Watch calls for impartial investigation
•Air force names six-man investigative committee

Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Paul Obi in Abuja and Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri

The death toll in the Air Force misfire on Rann, Borno State, yesterday rose by two as additional casualties were recorded at hospitals in Maiduguri.
Going by the 52 deaths initially recorded by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Doctors Without Borders, the figure has now risen to 54.

In an update in Maiduguri, the Borno State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Haruna Mshelia, said hospitals in the state capital have discharged five hospitalised victims even though two died out of the 80 severely injured victims moved from Rann in Kala-Balge to the town by the United Nations Humanitarian Air Services and the Nigerian Air Force.

He disclosed that both provided seven helicopters for the evacuation that ended yesterday.

Mshelia said the state Specialist Hospital currently has 68 of the victims after those initially hospitalised at the military hospital at 7 Division of the Nigerian Army were all moved to the state Specialist Hospital yesterday.

The commissioner noted that five victims are at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, (UMTH) bringing the figure to 73 persons.

He said two of the victims were unfortunately lost, one died at the state Specialist Hospital while the other died at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
He said: “Happily, five have been discharged by doctors after they were certified to have fully recovered. We are also hopeful that all the rest will be fine by the grace of God, Nigerians should pray for their speedy recovery.”

Mshelia however said 42 victims with minor injuries still remained in Rann given the fact that medical teams from the MSF, the ICRC and the State Government and other partners have enough medical supplies and health workers capable of addressing their health needs.

The commissioner lauded the efforts of the MSF, the ICRC and the UN for their extraordinary commitment to meeting the emergency humanitarian needs of the victims.
On the total death toll, Mshelia said it would be announced soon after all stakeholders harmonise their records based on number of bodies buried and those recovered.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the accidental bombing on the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp as a display of unprofessionalism on the part of military authorities.

The bombing which led to the death of over 52 people and 120 injured, has been regretted by the federal government and the Nigerian military which took responsibility for the unfortunate act.

However, in a statement yesterday by the PDP spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, the party said the excuse by the Nigerian military that the camp was mistaken to be a gathering of Boko Haram members is “a show of unprofessionalism and lack of intelligence regarding operations of such magnitude.”

The statement further noted: “We are shocked and totally dismayed at the news of the accidental bombing of Rann IDP camp by the military leading to the death of over 52 and more than 120 injured persons in the camp.

“This is totally unacceptable, and we demand a thorough and independent investigation into the matter to unravel the mystery behind the accident.
“We are very worried that the military, after several successes against the sect in recent times, would display such provocative conduct capable of rubbing-off on its past achievements as a professional organisation.

“Nigerians will recall our earlier warnings to the military not to allow itself to be used by the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) as a propaganda machine.
“We had also warned the military to remain resolute in its duty as a body constituted by law to defend the territorial integrity of the Nigerian state but not an arm of the ruling party.

“The military must excuse itself from the ruling party’s propaganda and deceit of scoring cheap political points and concentrate more on the job of really wiping off the insurgency in the North-east and to eliminate threat in all regions of the country.

“We are of the opinion that the January 17, 2017 accidental bombing of the IDP camp was a reaction to a false alarm and the military was misled by the informant to cause the killings of those innocent Nigerians.
“Consequently, Nigerian military must talk less on its modus operandi and also carry out sufficient intelligence gathering in order to avoid such costly mistakes in the future.

“We condole with President Muhammadu Buhari, the Governor of Borno State, Mr. Kashim Shettima, and the families of those who lost their lives in the incident.”
Also, global watchdog, Human Rights Watch (HRW) yesterday tasked the Nigerian authorities to “conduct a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into the air strikes.

It said it received imagery of the air strikes by the Nigerian military where many innocent civilians were killed and injured.
“The government, which has stated that the Nigerian Air Force accidentally carried out the strikes, should compensate those who were injured and the families of those killed as a result of any violation of international humanitarian law or the right to life,” it stated.

It further explained that it has “reviewed satellite imagery in the town of Rann, Kala Balge, , recorded in the morning after the attack and identified two distinct areas of destruction in densely populated areas on the western side of the town that are consistent with the detonation of multiple air-dropped munitions. At least 35 structures were destroyed in the attack, including shelters for displaced people.

Senior Nigeria Researcher of HRW, Mausi Segun, said: “The Nigerian military has taken an important and rare step in accepting responsibility for this horrible attack
“Now it should go further by explaining how it came to attack a displacement settlement, and by compensating the wounded and relatives of those who lost their lives.

“Although there is no clearly delineated displacement camp in Rann, the town includes hundreds of tents for displaced people located among residential buildings at the two sites that were hit. The tents are easily visible from the air, making it difficult to understand how an accident of this nature could have occurred.”

The presence of what appears to be a large Nigerian military compound on the edge of town, 100 meters from one of the impact sites, raises further questions, as the military would have been expected to know that the area was filled with civilians and to take adequate precautions not to harm them during any operation targeting Boko Haram fighters who might have been in the area.

“The investigation should determine the causes of the attack and the military should make the necessary changes, including in its planning of operations to minimise the risk of similar attacks in the future,” it said.
According to the Nigeria A

The Nigerian Air Force yesterday named a six-man investigation committee to ascertain the remote causes of the accidental bombing of the Internally Displaced Persons  (IDPs) camp in Borno State last Tuesday.

The Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, said the mandate of the committee is to thoroughly investigate the accidental bombing and ensure that such unfortunate incident are avoided.

Famuyiwa said: “The Nigerian Air Force has constituted a board of senior officers to investigate the accidental air strike on 17 January 2017 at Rann, Borno State.
“Among its terms of reference, the board is to determine the immediate and remote causes as well as the circumstances that led to the incident. This is with a view to forestall future occurrence.”

He explained that “in addition to a list of 20 witnesses given to it, the board is free to invite other persons to give evidence on oath. The board is to submit its report not later than February 2, 2017.

“The six-man board is headed by the Chief of Standards and Evaluation, Headquarters Nigerian Air Force (HQ NAF), Air Vice Marshal Salihu Bala-Ribah. Other members are: Air Vice Marshal Charles Oghomwen, Air Commodore Ayoola Jolasinmi, Group Captain Essien Efanga, Wing Commander Solomon Irmiya and Wing Commander Mohammed Muazu.”