By Emmanuel Nduka
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Monday disclosed that it has commenced investigation into the alleged bombing of civilians in Jika da Kolo community of Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Heritage Times HT reports that the community had alleged that a NAF aircraft mistakenly bombed the community, resulting in the deaths of over 25 people.
Reacting in a statement on Monday, NAF’s Deputy Director of Public Relations and Information, Group Captain Kabiru Ali told journalists that the Force is not taking the allegations lightly.
“The attention of the Nigerian Air Force has been drawn to reports of alleged civilian casualties following the successful airstrike on a terrorist enclave in Giwa LGA of Kaduna State. The airstrike on the location was based on credible intelligence from numerous reliable sources, as well as confirmatory surveillance of the target area before the strike.
“The said location has been notorious as a terrorist enclave for over 2 years and the successful airstrike would no doubt go a long way in minimizing banditry, kidnapping and similar attacks on innocent civilians in Kaduna State and environs.
“Nevertheless, the NAF is not taking these allegations lightly, as its focus is to always achieve the desired operational objective without collateral damage. Accordingly, a thorough investigation is currently ongoing to ascertain the facts with a view to keeping the populace informed in due course,” the NAF statement read.
Heritage Times HT recalls that the Nigerian Air Force has faced multiple allegations of mistakenly bombing civilian areas during military operations, particularly in the context of the fight against Boko Haram and other insurgent groups.
Incidents of civilian casualties have been reported over the years, drawing criticism from both local and international observers. The Nigerian government and military have often stated they aim to minimize civilian harm, but the situation remains complex and contentious.
Before last week’s incident, the most recent incident involving the Nigerian Air Force mistakenly bombing civilians occurred in September 2023, when an airstrike in the northeastern region reportedly resulted in civilian casualties.
