Many Feared Dead as Air Force Accidentally Bombs Borno Village – The Cable
Up to 17 people may have been killed in a village in Borno State after an accidental bombing by a jet belonging to the Nigerian Air Force, reports The Cable.
The incident is said to have occurred on Thursday in the Sakotoku village in Damboa local government area of Borno state.
The Cable cites military sources to have indicated that the Nigerian Air Force was informed that Boko Haram insurgents were gathering around the village on Thursday afternoon.
“We don’t know if they didn’t communicate well with the land troops as the air force jet fired that bomb on the village,” The Cable quotes one of the unnamed sources.
“Seventeen people were killed, mostly women and their children playing under mango trees. Many were also injured and have been taken to the 25 army brigade in Damboa, and those with critical injuries were taken to Maiduguri,” the source said.
The Cable reports that some of the villagers whose houses were destroyed have found their way to Damboa.
The news platform further reports that in February, residents of Garkida, Adamawa state and Korongilum, Borno state, had alleged that Nigerian Air Force fighter jets refused to open fire on suspected Boko Haram insurgents when they attacked their communities.
Ibikunle Daramola, Air Force spokesperson was said to have told TheCable that the Air Force could not engage the insurgents because the situation in Garkida was chaotic.
It will be recalled that in 2017, 126 civilians were killed in Rann, Borno State, in an accidental air strike by the military.
Regarding the latest incident in Sakotoku, Daramola is quoted to have told TheCable that “It’s a matter of operation” and the defence headquarters would be in a better position to speak on the matter.”
