473 civilians killed from erroneous air strikes in 10 years – Coalition

The Community of Practice Against Mass Atrocities, under the auspices of Nigeria Mourns has disclosed that between February 2014 and 2024, 21 air strikes by the Nigeria Air Force erroneously killed 473 civilians and injured several others.

The funding followed the recent horrifying killing of 20 civilians by a Nigerian Air Force airstrike in Tungar Kara, Maradun Local Government Area, Zamfara State, on January 11, and another killing of 10 civilians after a similar airstrike in the Gidan Bisa and Rumtuwa areas of Sokoto State.

The coalition while expressing their sadness and outrage over the avoidable and tragic incidents said these events are a strong reminder of the human cost of negligence and the urgent need for accountability.

The coalition includes Global Rights, Advocacy Centre for Development (AC4D), endorsed African Initiative for Peace Building, Advocacy, and Advancement (AfriPeace), All-4-One Humanity Development Foundation., Alliances for Africa, Almajiri Child Rights Initiative (ACRI), Bauchi Human Rights Network, Center for Community Excellence, Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Grassroots Development Monitoring and Advocacy Centre Initiatives for Social Development among others.

The coalition stated that since February 2014, when a Nigerian military aircraft bombed Daglun Village in Borno State, killing at least 20 people, similar “erroneous” incidents have occurred in at least 21 airstrikes, resulting in the deaths of more than 473 civilians and injuring several others.

They maintained that these tragic incidents, which have all occurred in established indigenous communities and recognized IDP camps, suggest a disregard for the right to life and a troubling pattern of negligence within the Nigerian military.

“It is disconcerting that the military continues to explain away these incidents as unavoidable “collateral damage” in their fight against terrorism, perpetuating a cycle of impunity and indifference. Even when public outrage forces an admission of responsibility, as seen in the Tundun Biri incident in Kaduna in December 2023, meaningful accountability and reparative actions remain absent.

“Rather than be accountable, the military routinely denies culpability, often claiming that only “security threats” were “neutralized”. Under public pressure, it promises investigations, which rarely lead to actionable outcomes. When admissions of errors eventually surface, there is no concrete plan to prevent future tragedies or to provide compensation and rehabilitation for those affected by these horrific violations of human rights.”

The coalition said the 22 accidental airstrikes highlight the critical need for an immediate review of civilian safety protocols, aviation equipment standards, intelligence systems, proportionality in the use of force, and the retraining of bomber pilots.

They stressed that the findings from these investigations must be published and accessible to the public promptly to promote transparency and rebuild public trust.

They called on the Nigerian Military to review its operational protocols to enhance intelligence gathering, improve precision in targeting, and minimize civilian casualties during military operations.

They, however, called on the National Human Rights Commission to leverage its authority to demand accountability and justice for affected individuals, including ensuring equitable compensation and rehabilitation for victims and their families to help them recover from the profound loss and devastation.