Over 300 civilians have been killed in accidental airstrikes by the Nigerian Air Force since 2017, according to a report by SBM Intelligence titled “Air Force Mishaps,” released on Monday. The report states that the strikes occurred while the Air Force was pursuing terrorists and notes a sharp increase in such incidents over the past two years. It also highlights that no compensation has been paid to the victims’ families and that the latest incident in Nasarawa “has come to colour military operations in Nigeria.”
The document lists Yobe, Borno, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, and Niger as the worst‑hit states. Specific cases include a January 17, 2017, accidental strike on an internally displaced persons camp in Rann, Borno, which killed about 52 people and injured 120. On April 13, 2020, a Nigerian Air Force fighter jet bombed Sakotoku village in Damboa LGA, Borno, killing 17 people, including children. In April 2022, a bomb dropped on Kurebe village in Shiroro LGA, Niger State, killed six children, while another strike on July 7, 2022, hit Kunkuna village in Safana LGA, Katsina, wounding 13 residents and killing one.
The report also notes that Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Oladayo Amao has expressed concern over the high civilian death toll and has established a committee to investigate past incidents and the circumstances that led to the strikes. Security expert Oladele Fajana urged the Nigerian Air Force to “go back to the drawing board” and improve target identification, emphasizing that repeated accidents are unacceptable and must be prevented.
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