Nigeria faces a village crime problem. To combat it, the armed forces decide to carry out air attacks. The problem is that, in the meantime, they kill everyone — including dozens of civilians.
In Zamfara State, in northwestern Nigeria, at least 16 people died in an airstrike that consisted of an attempt to eliminate a criminal gang. More people were injured.
According to the country’s armed forces, the attack consisted of a “decisive blow to the bandits who terrorize the villages in the region”. They refer to problems caused in the country by armed groups who rob and burn houses, kill and kidnap residents to obtain one, recalls.
In recent months, several accidental air attacks have been carried out, recalls the British channel. On Christmas Day, for example, they died in the same way 10 civilians who had nothing to do with attacks, also due to “error” by the air force.
“Although the operation successfully eliminated several bandits and led to recovery of some kidnap victimsthe Nigerian Air Force views with great concern the reports of the loss of civilian lives during the course of the operation”, the Navy, which also assured that it will carry out a “thorough investigation”.
“Launching airstrikes is not a legitimate method of law enforcement. This reckless use of lethal force is illegal, outrageous and reveals the Nigerian military’s shocking disregard for the lives of those they supposedly exist to protect,” wrote human rights group Amnesty International Nigeria.
The BBC recalls another episode, in 2023, during which 85 people, including women and childrenwho were at a religious meeting, also went after being mistaken for bandits.
