Collateral Damage: The Military Gets it Wrong Again

Nigeria’s security agencies have been at the forefront of fighting violent extremist groups that have besieged the country. The Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force have particularly been constantly engaged in identifying and stamping out terrorist activities, especially in North East, North Central and North West Nigeria, where terrorist and bandit activities are rife. Despite some strides recorded in the fight against these insurgencies, there have been repeated incidents of non-combatant civilian casualties.

An incident on the 3^rd of December 2023 in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State occurred when Muslims taking part in Maulud celebrations became victims of a drone attack, for which the Nigerian Army took responsibility. An eyewitness put the casualty toll from the incident at 50. The number of deaths and injuries in this incident is still been contested.  Previously, drone strikes by the Nigerian Armed Forces leading to civilian casualties have also been recorded in Nasarawa State. This incident led to the death of at least 27 people. Similarly, a drone attack in the Yunsari Local Government Area of Yobe State resulted in 30 casualties (10 dead and 20 injured).

Other incidents of accidental attacks include:

1. Sambisa, 2014 – The effort of the security agents to rescue Chibok girls from their terrorist captors in 2014 reportedly led to the killing of some of the victims.
2. Rann, 2017 – In January 2017, a Nigerian Air Force fighter jet on a mission against Boko Haram extremists mistakenly bombed an internally displaced persons camp in Rann, Borno State. Over 100 civilians died as a result of the shelling.
3. Tangaram, 2019 – In April 2019, during an offensive against bandits terrorising Zamfara State, a military air raid accidentally bombed Tangaram village. The military strike injured 17 civilians and left six children dead.
4. Sakatotu, 2020 – At least 17 people, including women and children, were killed when a fighter jet belonging to the Nigerian Air Force accidentally opened bombs on Sakotoku village in the Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State in 2020. The children were said to be playing under mango trees when the bombs hit them.
5. Mainok, 2021 – While targeting Boko Haram insurgents in April 2021, the Nigerian Air Force fighter jet killed some soldiers in Mainok, Borno State.
6. Genu, 2021 – On June 13, 2021, a fighter jet belonging to the Nigerian Airforce bombarded Genu town in Niger State. Among the dead were wedding guests in Argida village and hordes of civilians.
7. Buhari, 2021 – Over a dozen residents of Buhari village in Yunusari Local Government Area of Yobe State were killed in September 2021 when a NAF fighter jet bombarded the village.
8. Kwatar Daban Masara, 2021 – Barely two weeks after the accidental bombing of civilians in Yobe State, a Nigerian military aircraft targeting terrorist camps in Kwatar Daban Masara in the Lake Chad area killed at least 20 fishermen.
9. Niger, 2022 – In February 2022, an airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force targeting bandits accidentally killed seven children and wounded five in Niger State.

The aforementioned incidents indicate that the issue is one that predates this occurrence in Kaduna State and requires rapid attention. In a reaction to the erroneous bombardment of civilians in Kaduna State, the Director of Defence Media Operations stated there was observed movement of terrorists in the area. However, civilian deaths during troops’ operations are a needless tragedy. The Kaduna  State government has also responded to the incident in the Igabi Local Government Area by calling a security meeting attended by heads of security agencies and religious and traditional leaders. However, previous incidents have often prompted this response, and the results of these meetings have often failed to address the recurrence of such tragedy. For instance, in 2022, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amao, made efforts to address accidental airstrikes on non-combatant civilians by setting up a committee to compile allegations and incidents. This move has failed to address the issues associated with the erroneous bombing of civilians, which have continued to date.

In analysing the attack on civilians, the military has stated instances of terrorists deliberately mixing with the civilian population as cover to conduct operations. However, this brings to the forefront the question of modes of engagement by the military. In situations where civilian lives are at risk, a blanket approach to eliminating terrorists should be carefully orchestrated.

In a bid to address the issue of unintended attacks on civilian populations, there is a need for the Nigerian military to critically investigate previous cases of erroneous attacks on civilians and identify if the issue is a personnel problem or an equipment problem. Furthermore, community participation and cooperation with law enforcement authorities can aid in curtailing terrorist tactics of mingling with civilians. This could go a long way to reducing civilian casualties during military operations against terrorist groups. Nigeria also needs to get its counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations right. Erroneous airstrikes by Nigerian forces will further strain the civil-military relationship that is meant to aid counterinsurgency measures and post-conflict recovery and stabilisation. More importantly, there is a need to critically evaluate and improve intelligence gathering for maximum coordination and execution of military operations, thereby limiting civilian non-combatant casualties. Finally, in this era of AI (Artificial Intelligence), the military can use AI to determine the movements and behavioural patterns of terrorists and those of local civilian populations prior to launching such attacks.