Caught in crossfire: 426 civilians pay deadly price as military hits wrong targets

In the last seven years, over 426 innocent civilians have had to pay with their lives after military air strikes aimed at bandits and terrorists have hit the wrong target.  This has thrown several families into mourning. Solomon Odeniyi writes about the victims’ families and survivors’ struggle for justice, which remains elusive

Okotta Samiala still grapples with the sorrow of losing 11 of his beloved siblings to the accidental air strike by the Nigerian Air Force that occurred in the Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on January 24, 2023.

The agony he is experiencing has been exacerbated by his inability to get justice for them.

Samiala, who reluctantly spoke to our correspondent, said all efforts to ensure the family gets justice, including speaking to journalists, have been futile.

“We have been pursuing the issue to no avail. Everything we tried to get justice failed.  It brings me pain whenever I am being interviewed about the incident.  Many journalists have come, and we have spoken with them, thinking something would come out, but nothing. We are tired of talking to you people,” a frustrated Samiala said.

Despite being indicted by investigations by Human Rights Watch, Reuters, Amnesty International, and Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, as well as outcries from the citizens, the Nigerian Air Force failed to own up to the operational blunder, labelling those killed as terrorists who were planning an attack on the community.

“The Air Force carried out surveillance, and the surveillance confirmed that they were terrorists and that surveillance continued for almost throughout the day until later in the evening when a truck appeared at that scene.

“The truck was suspected to have brought logistics to them and that was why approval was given by the appropriate authority that that truck be taken out and the truck was taken out.

“The position of the Air Force is that terrorists were struck that day, and whether it is whatever group and if they think they were innocent people, let them provide the evidence,” the then Air Force spokesperson, Air Commodore Ayodele Famuyiwa, said.

But Samiala is still furious with the Air Force for calling his siblings terrorists and their failure to admit the strike was done in error.

He said, “They called innocent people terrorists after killing them. My siblings were pastoralists.  They just wasted their lives. I lost 11 of my siblings to the incident. Our leaders persuaded us that we should allow peace to reign and that justice would be done to those responsible for the incident, but as I speak, the military has not admitted they killed innocent citizens, which is very painful.”

Grimly recalling the unfortunate incident, Samiala said his siblings were bombed while offloading their cattle impounded by the Benue State Livestock Guards.

He said, “Two weeks before the incident, men of the Benue State Livestock Guards enforcing the state anti-open grazing law, seized over 1,000 cows from them. The guards accused them of crossing into Benue State and fined them N27m.

“After they paid the fine, the guards ordered them to move the cows by truck back to Nasarawa State to the area where the air strike took place. They were also the ones who directed them to the area to offload the cattle. They could have done it in a more convenient area, but they were afraid of what would happen if they disobeyed. It was at the point of offloading that they were bombed.”

Samila lamented the burden of settling the loan his siblings had acquired to reclaim their herd of cattle while shouldering the responsibility of caring for their families amid the hardship in the country.

He said,  “They took a loan to reclaim their cattle seized by the guards. The family is planning to repay the loan. I have been the one taking care of the children they left behind; you know what the situation of the country is saying. After the government offset their medical bills there has been nothing from them. “

Like Samiala in Nasawara State, Rabiu Umaru in Zamfara State is also dealing with the loss of his loved ones killed in an accidental air strike by the Nigerian military in 2022.

Umaru, who tragically lost his elder brother and six others in the air strike, lamented the absence of any government official extending a visit to them.

He recounted receiving meager assistance, a sum of N60,000, from his representative in the House of Representatives and a former legislator from his area.

Umaru said, “My brother died in the incident. Two of his children were affected by the strike and are still receiving treatment. In my family, we have more than six people that were affected. We still have a lot of us receiving treatment.

“The person representing us at the House of Representatives, Abdulmalik Nakogo, is the only person that came to commiserate and gave a token of N50,000 to each of the victims. He tried; but since then, not the local government, state or federal government provided any form of compensation to the families of those who died or even those receiving treatment. Even sympathy that was supposed to be a normal thing from the government was not shown. We also have a former legislator who came around to give a token of N10,000.

“We are unhappy, no sense of belonging was given to us, they took us for animals without any form of concern. It is unfair.”

The  Nigerian Air Force during an air interdiction against bandits in the Mutumji community in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State on December 19, 2022, accidentally bombed residents.

Although a total of 64 persons were reportedly killed in the incident,  Umaru said the casualty figures increased to 71.

“Many lives were lost. In a day we buried more than 60 bodies, excluding those that died in the hospital and at home while taking care of them. After one to two weeks another set of bodies was buried, around 11 of them, some up to 71. As I speak to you, we have some survivors still receiving treatment. ‘’

Explaining how he had been coping,  Umaru said,  “Subhanalilla, journalist, I am telling you it has not been easy for us, the survivors. We deserve to be compensated too just like we heard they are doing for people in Kaduna. We were the first to witness this ugly event.”

He pleaded with the government to also ensure that the community was well-developed

Umaru said,  “Trading, farming, and animal husbandry which are the main sources of livelihood here have stopped due to insecurity. There will be no development here if this continues.  The government should help us. “

In the last seven years, Nigeria has witnesssed no fewer than 14 accidental air strikes by the military claiming at least 426 innocent civilians lives, and injuring no fewer than 270 civilians.

The Director,  Defence Media Operations,  Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, said the military would embark on training for its personnel.

Buba added that the military would ensure that air strikes are only ordered when the personnel are 100 percent sure of the target.

 He said, “What we are going to do as regards what has happened to prevent it from happening in the future, I can assure you we will make sure that we get more training and make sure that we get more understanding of the processes and protocols involved.

“We will make sure that when something is seen before the order is given to bomb, it will be definitely 100 per cent sure. But for now, we have encouraged communities to see something and say something. Tell us what you are seeing, it will help us in analysing the threat that we see on the ground.”

SOURCE:PUNCH

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