Nigerian Federal Government is now urging its Air Force to be more cautious in the challenging operations of clearing up the Boko-Haram insurgents inorder to avoid civilian casualties while trying to keep citizens safe.
Scores were killed and many injured on Tuesday when an Air Force jet accidentally bombed a civilian community in Rann, Borno State, in a final phase of mopping up insurgents in the North-East.
The Federal Executive Council has shelved its Wednesday weekly meeting as sources said President Muhammadu Buhari is devastated by the development.
In a press statement on Wednesday, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed described the accidental bombing as utterly tragic.
The Minister, who recently led members of the Bing Back Our Girls campaign group, BBOG and the media to Yola, where the Air Component of the fight against Boko Haram is based, said he was particularly saddened because the accidental bombing is not a true reflection of the level of professionalism that he witnessed during the visit.
”One of the things we went away with after spending some two days at the Tactical Air Command in Yola is the strict adherence to operational guidelines and the high level of professionalism of the officers and men, especially the young pilots who fly high-risk missions day and night.
”Among others, we witnessed pre- and post-mission briefings for the pilots, the high attention paid to details, especially concerning emergencies and weather, and the evacuation plan in case of accidents.
We heard that on several occasions during their sorties, fighter pilots have had to hold their fire after observing the movement of women and children in Sambisa. We also witnessed the same careful disposition when we flew to Sambisa with the pilots.
”It therefore came to me as a rude shock to learn, a few hours after leaving Yola, that one of the fighter jets has accidentally bombed civilians, including aid workers,” he said.
Mohammed prayed for quick recovery of the injured and gave condolences to the families of those who died in the unfortunate bombing.
