Seven months after over 126 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were killed when a military fighter jet mistakenly bombed a camp of the displaced persons near Rann, Borno State, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday released its report on the remote cause of the incident.
According to the military, lack of appropriate marking of the area was responsible for the mistaken attack.
Defence spokesman, Maj Gen John Enenche, said the bombing near the IDPs’ camp at Rann in Kala-Balge local government area of Borno State on January 17, 2017 by the Nigerian Air Force was an erroneous airstrike.
He said the bombing of the IDPs was caused by lack of appropriate marking of the area near the camp where the IDPs were struck.
Briefing journalists on the report, Enenche said, “Hitherto, people were not expected to amass at that location. Furthermore, the location was not reflected in the operational map as a humanitarian base. The normal pattern for Boko Haram terrorists to form up, before attacking innocent civilians and troops is to amass.”
“Hence, it appeared as a place that could equally be used for enemy activities. Thus, when mass movement was noticed through aerial satellite observation, it was taken for Boko Haram Terrorists activity, which needed to be neutralized with speed”.
Accordingly, the Defence Headquarters recommended that all locations where humanitarian activities take place in the theatre of operations should be marked appropriately for ground and aerial identification in line with international best practices.
“The geographical and spatial coordinates of all areas of humanitarian activities within the theatre, should be provided to the Theatre Command Headquarters.
There should be timely and mandatory exchange of information between stakeholders, for all activities in the Theatre of operation”, Enenche said.
On the armed clashes between some officers of the Nigerian Army and those of the Police in Damaturu, Yobe State, on April 11, 2017 as well as that of the Nigerian Navy and Police personnel in Calabar on May 30, 2017, the Defence Headquarters called on both services to establish a board of inquiry to investigate the incidents and come up with their reports.
Enenche said, “However, some of the services and commands that were directly affected also constituted their boards of inquiry in line with service regulations.”
“It was recommended that strict centralized operational and administrative control should be exercised, on all security agencies serving under Operation LAFIYA DOLE. Offenders in the incident are to be sanctioned appropriately, to serve as deterrent to other personnel in the Theatre of Operation”.
Noting that the Nigerian Navy and Police have been mandated to institute further investigation to identify erring personnel for sanctions, the Army spokesman added that security services should periodically remind their personnel to always comply with standing regulations at all times and places.
