Terror from Above

The quest to stamp out insecurity in Nigeria has seen the security agencies of Nigeria take various measures. Many innocent people have paid the price for Nigeria’s battle against different rebels across the country. In their quest to eliminate criminals, the Nigerian Air Force has accidentally killed the lives of some civilians. These occurrences have posed the question of whether these incidents are a case of wrong geographical coordinates or sheer carelessness on the part of the flying forces. In the most recent incident in the Kwateri community Nasarawa, an “unidentified” drone attack killed at least 27people, identified later as herders waiting to transport cattle impounded by the Benue Livestock Guards. Debunking claims that the Nigerian Armed Forces orchestrated it, two dilemmas remain worrisome; Do criminal elements possess jets to inflict attacks on civilians with impunity; or is the Nigerian Air Force negligent in their anti-terrorist operations? Nonetheless, the promise of an investigation may likely provide answers.

Over the years, other drone attacks have been recorded, which have claimed innocent lives. In the Yunusari Local government area of Yobe State, an airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force claimed the lives of ten people while over 20 were wounded. The incident created a wave of criticism of the operations of the Nigerian Air Force. Criticisms surrounding the circumstance were based on the denial of the Nigerian Armed Forces over the incident. Such an occurrence creates a sense of distrust from the local populace, mainly because the Air Force claimed responsibility for the attacks after initial denial. Other cases of attacks on civilians have also been recorded.  In January 2017, NAF fighter jets mistakenly bombed an IDP camp in Borno state, killing at least 54 people. A statement from NAF headquarters held that the location was not “reflected in the operational map as a humanitarian base.” In June 2021, NAF denied killing wedding guests during an aerial bombardment against bandits in Niger state, a bandits’-rampaged state. In April 2021, NAF said it had commenced investigations into a report that its officials killed 20 Nigerian Army personnel by accident in an airstrike in Mainok, Borno state. According to the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), some of the unreported airstrikes by the military had killed, injured, and displaced many residents in Zamfara state.

While the incidents of drone attacks on civilians put a spotlight on the activities of the Nigerian Air Force, undocumented accidental bombings remain a regular occurrence in the never-ending fight against terror. As of 2022, efforts at mitigating future incidences of collateral damage through investigation had been initiated by the Chief of air staff. Although setting up a committee to compile allegations and incidences of accidental airstrikes on non-combatant civilians has failed to prevent the occurrence, as seen in the recent incident in Nasarawa state. These scenarios have not solved the issues associated with the erroneous bombing of civilians.

Given growing public discontent, Nigeria must get its counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations right. Current issues in the northeast are impacting collaborative opportunities to end the war. Erroneous airstrikes by the Nigerian forces will further strain the civil-military relationship that will aid counterinsurgency measures and set the tempo for post-conflict recovery and stabilisation. New conversations and efforts across national governments, international organisations, and the donor community on post-conflict stabilisation in the Lake Chad Basin (LCB) cannot be achieved by increasing hostility between the military and society. Nigerian military should enhance its intelligence gathering. Details of the recent NAF killing of non-combatants in Yobe state suggests minimal coordination between military fighter jets and on-ground information sources.

Government should improve its local presence. Counter-ideology against Boko haram should be followed by improving the living conditions of people in the region. Boko haram insurgents struggling to create an Islamic state may promise local people improved lives and leverage the government’s inadequacies to expand their plan. The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) holds that states should address and resolve local grievances, increase community trust in government, and encourage social cohesion in counter-extremism. Social welfare and development programmes are a few ways government can mobilise local support and collaboration in the war against terror. Ideology-driven warfare must be met with a counter-ideology strategy. Essentially, improving local governance will aid civil-military partnerships and create opportunities for intelligence gathering necessary for counterterrorism.