With the recent tragic bomb misfire at the Tundun community in Kaduna, the question that is left unattended to by the Nigerian -Security forces is why there is one too many of these accidents; regardless of the intended targets, the Nigerian Force needs to work on minimalising civilian casualties.
Reports in the last six years show that these misfired airstrikes, particularly in the North of Nigeria and extending to the Niger Republic, have claimed the lives of over 300 people who are not the original targets. Some have become victims while attending celebrations, working on their farms or living their daily lives.
This report chronicles casualties, locations and times when Nigerian Security operatives have accidentally killed innocent citizens in the course of fighting terrorism and banditry in Northern Nigeria.
Rann, Borno State | January 2017
At least 52 people were killed after a Nigerian fighter jet dropped a bomb on the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Rann, headquarters of Kala-Balge local government area, Borno State, in January 2017. Besides the 52 people who lost their lives, over 120 people were injured in the incident.
Damboa, Borno| April 2020
A fighter jet from the Nigerian Air Force inadvertently dropped a bomb on Sakotoku village in Damboa LGA, killing around 17 people, primarily women and children playing under mango trees in April 2020,
It was reported that the intended target was Korongilum, a neighbouring village 12 km away, where suspected Boko Haram insurgents were gathered. It’s unclear if there was a communication issue with the ground troops, leading to the accidental bombing of the village by the Air Force jet.
Buhari Village, Yobe | September 2021
Over a dozen civilians in Buhari village under Yunusari Local Government Area of Yobe State were bombed by a military aircraft on September 28, 2021,
Not more than two weeks after the Yobe incident, 20 fishermen were killed when the Air Force targeted terrorist camps in Kwatar Daban Masara in the Lake Chad area.
Even though the targeted area was considered enemy territory as it’s under the control of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the fishermen were among those caught in the complex web of ISWAP resource exploitation.
Nachade, Niger Republic border town | February 2022
Seven children were reportedly killed in a border community in the Niger Republic on February 20, 2022, in Nachade village, Maradi of Niger Republic, following a Nigerian military airstrike targeting terrorists.
Maradi Leader Chaibou Aboubacar said the victims’ parents were attending a ceremony, and “the children were probably playing” when the air strikes hit them.
Shiroro, Niger State| April 2022
Six children were killed when a Nigerian Air Force jet bombed their residence in Kurebe, Shiroro Local Government of the state, in April 2022.
The incident happened on Wednesday, 13 April, as the children returned from a borehole in the community where they had gone to fetch water.
Katsina Bomb Blast | July 2022
In July 2022, at least six people were killed by an Air Force jet in the Kunkunna community of Safana Local Government of Katsina State. The victims of the Katsina attack were hit by bombs targeted at bandits.
A lawmaker representing the Safana constituency at the Katsina State House of Assembly, Abdul Jalal Runka, confirmed the accident, stating that only one woman was killed by the bomb. He said the 14 other people injured in the attack were being treated at a hospital.
Zamfara State | December, 2022
In December 2022, another airstrike occurred in Zamfara State and claimed scores of civilian lives while soldiers were repelling attacks by non-state actors on some communities in the Dansadau District of Maru Local Government Area of the State.
Civilians, including women and children, were killed. The community leader of Mutunji, Umar Mutunji, put the civilian casualties at over 70.
The State government confirmed the strike claimed several lives in the Mutunji community but did not state the number of casualties from the operations.
Nasarawa-Benue State attack | January, 2023
In January 2023, there was an attack in Nasarawa State, which was believed to be carried out by a drone. The police confirmed that at least 27 herders, mainly Fulani, were killed.
Most of those killed were herders returning from Benue State after retrieving their livestock seized by the Benue State Government.
Tundun, Kaduna|December 2023
The Kaduna attack is a very recent instance in a series of similar accidental airstrikes on civilians by the Nigerian military in recent years. Also, it is the second military airstrike on the civilian populace in the north this year.
Late on Sunday, 3rd December 2023, at least 85 civilians were killed in Kaduna state, north-west Nigeria, in an air strike during a Muslim religious celebration.
A military drone on a routine counterterrorism operation mistook their movement patterns for those of bandits, and an airstrike was called in. They hit people gathered for Maulud, a Muslim religious event, in the Tundun Biri community in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna state. Eighty-five people have been buried, while up to 66 were injured in the strike, which came in two parts: the first strike hit the venue, while the second targeted people responding to the attack.
Kaduna is among several states in Nigeria’s northwest where criminal gangs, commonly referred to as bandits, kill, steal, and kidnap for ransom. The authorities describe these gangs as terrorist groups. Security forces’ responses, including air operations, are often abusive.
Lots of Nigerians hope that the Nigerian Security operatives will investigate and re-strategise on how to prevent these misfired airstrikes and that the cost of fighting terrorism and banditry will not be the lives of innocent citizens.
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