ISSUES IN THE CHRISTMAS DAY BOMBING
An independent investigation is necessary as a safeguard against future incidents
At the funeral prayer for victims of the military airstrike in Sokoto State on 25th December 2024, Governor Ahmad Aliyu remarked that the bombing was accidental. “The military jets were on their mission to eliminate criminal armed groups terrorising the state, and mistakenly bombed innocent people,” he said. Two communities in Silame Local Government Area of the state, were hit, killing about 10 innocent villagers, livestock, while many houses were burnt. The villages are located near the Surame desert, a known hideout for the newly emerging Lakurawa group terrorising the northwest. While we commiserate with families of the victims, we call on the federal government to ensure adequate compensation for them and provide the survivors with necessary care and attention. It is also important to have an independent investigation into what happened so that appropriate lessons can be learnt from the tragedy.
Although the Nigerian Air Force also promised an investigation into the incident, their spokesperson, Olusola Akinboyewa, has defended the airstrikes, stating that they were carried out based on credible intelligence from multiple sources and after confirmatory aerial surveillance. His claims were corroborated by the Director of Defence Media Operations Major General Edward Buba who noted that the airstrike was a precision-guided operation targeting the terrorist hideout in the area. “The airstrike indeed hit the logistics base of the terrorists, which led to secondary explosions. It was these explosions that caused the casualties,” Buba stated. Since military authorities have already reached conclusions on the incident, it stands to reason that whatever investigations they may have ordered is merely to fulfil all righteousness. That would be unfair to the people who lost loved ones in the event the military accounts prove to be wrong.
The Sokoto incident is the latest in a series of accidental strikes in recent years, raising concerns among many including human rights groups. “This is yet another sign that the Nigerian military has not changed, and they have not learned a lesson from previous airstrikes that killed civilians,” said Isa Sanusi, Amnesty’s country director in Nigeria. “I believe that they have to review their procedures, they have to investigate these incidents thoroughly, and they have to find a way to end this reckless deadly use of force.”
Indeed, similar unfortunate military airstrikes have killed several innocent people in recent years. According to SBM Intelligence, a consulting firm, the Nigerian Air Force carried out 17 accidental air strikes between January 2017 and September 2024, killing about 500 people. From Rann, Borno State in 2017 to Sububu area of Zamfara State in 2021 to Kurebe village in Shiroro local government of Niger State in April 2022, Southern Kaduna in June 2022, military attacks have killed hundreds of civilians in enormous collateral damage. Last September, an airstrike in Kaduna where criminal gangs often kill, and kidnap for ransom, claimed 24 people.
But perhaps the most damaging was the military airstrike in December 2023 that hit Tudun Biri village in Kaduna State which killed more than 120 people. The airstrike was carried out by the Nigerian Army using an armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The use of armed UAVs has become a norm by almost all armies across the world because of the effectiveness and the ability to guarantee force protection. Since its introduction in the Nigerian Army in 2012, first as a platform for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance capability, the deployment of UAVs has helped tremendously to improve operational efficiency and decimate bandits across the Northeast, Northwest and Northcentral. The unfortunate incident marked the first time such would happen since the introduction of drones into the combat operations of the Nigerian Army. Hence it was viewed seriously, as many called for caution in their deployment to prevent further occurrence.
Erroneous strikes are often attributed to intelligence failure, poor coordination, and inadequate operator training. It is therefore hoped that an independent investigation would identify lapses, especially in terms of training deficits, acquisition of more effective modern UAV platforms as well as putting more efficient command and control system in place to guarantee double checks on targets before a strike decision is taken.
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Erroneous strikes are often attributed to intelligence failure, poor coordination, and inadequate operator training
