He noted that each time the mistake happens, the Air Force will issue apologies and promises of compensation. “Yet, these hollow gestures do nothing to bring justice to the grieving families who must bury their loved ones; children, parents, spouses, killed by those sworn to protect them,” he stated.

He added that many of the victims were not just innocent, but were actively contributing to the security of their communities, like the vigilantes killed in Zamfara. This makes their loss not only heartbreaking, but also profoundly unjust. “One must know that airstrikes are not and must never be considered a legitimate law enforcement method.

“The use of such deadly force in civilian areas, without precision or verified intelligence is unlawful, outrageous and reflects a shocking disregard for the very people the military is meant to defend. “That those responsible continue to walk free without consequence clearly indicates systemic impunity.

“To many Nigerians, particularly those in the North who bear the brunt of this violence, these strikes are no longer perceived as accidental, but as calculated acts that worsen insecurity rather than resolve it. “Whether or not this perception is accurate, it is dangerous and deeply corrosive to public trust”, Dantani further stated.

Zamfara In December 2022, a military airstrike claimed scores of civilian lives while soldiers were repelling attacks by non-state actors on some communities in Dansadau District of Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

It was the insistence of residents that armed bandits had targeted Malele, Yan Sawayu, Yan Awaki Maigoge, and Ruwan Tofa communities before the attacks were foiled by the air raids which forced the rampaging gunmen to flee into the neighbouring Mutunji community for safety.

Unfortunately, the terrorists were not the only victims of the air raid in Mutunji. Civilians, including women and children, were also killed.

According to the community leader of Mutunji, Umar Mutunji, the civilian casualties were over 70. On January 10, 2025, no fewer than 16 residents were reportedly killed after a military air strike tore through Tungar Kara community in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara state.

Quoting intelligence sources, Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, revealed that the victims including members of the Zamfara Community Protection Guard (ZCPG), vigilantes, and residents of the community were called to respond to the incursion of gunmen. The vigilantes were said to have been mistaken for bandits, shortly after the bandits had fled the scene.

In Katsina State, at least six people were reportedly killed by an Air Force jet in the Kunkunna Community of Safana Local Government of the state in July 2022.

The victims of Katsina attack were hit by bombs targeted at bandits. Confirming the incident, AbdulJalal Runka, the lawmaker representing Safana Constituency at the Katsina State House of Assembly, revealed that a woman was killed by the bomb, while 14 other people were injured in the attack.

“Eight persons were admitted at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua University Teaching Hospital (formerly Federal Medical Centre Katsina)”, the lawmaker said.

Six children were killed when a Nigerian Air Force jet bombed their residence in Kurebe, Shiroro Local Government of Niger State in April 2022. Sadly, the parents of two of the six children who were killed in the airstrike were killed by bandits in 2020.

Spokesperson of the Coalition of Shiroro Association (COSA), Salis Sabo, revealed that the incident took place in the morning of Wednesday, April 13, 2022 as the children were returning from a motorised borehole in the community where they had gone to fetch water.

“The two other children who lost their lives in the incidents have for long-lost their parents. One of them is a daughter of the late Malam Isah Kurebe and the other is a daughter of the late Malam Adamu Kurebe, who was killed by terrorists”, Sabo said.

On December 25, 2024, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) carried out an airstrike with many civilians feared dead and several others injured.

The airstrikes affected residents of Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa communities in the Silame Local Government Area of the Northwestern Sokoto State. Sources said the communities are located near Surame Forest, a known hideout for armed gang known as bandits.

Speaking on how to end ‘incessant airstrike errors’ in military operations against bandits and terrorists, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr Olisa Agbakoba, emphasized that Nigeria’s persistent insecurity issues, including the problem of ‘incessant airstrike errors’ in military operations, cannot be resolved through military means alone.

He advocated for dialogue and political solutions, saying, “we are not going to win the insurgency war by military option; we are going to win the problem of insurgency and insecurity by discussion”.

Agbakoba added that by fostering dialogue and understanding, the government can develop comprehensive strategies that minimize reliance on military force and reduce the likelihood of tragic errors during operations. On his part, Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN) stressed the importance of accurate intelligence in military operations to prevent errors such as inadvertent airstrikes on civilians.

While advocating for the military to enhance its intelligence-gathering capabilities and ensure that all information is thoroughly verified before any action is taken, Chief Ahamba insisted that the military should collaborate closely with local communities to gain better insights into the areas of operation, thereby reducing the likelihood of mistakes.

He also called for increased accountability within the military to address any lapses that lead to such errors. A law Professor, Awa Kalu (SAN), who frowned at the development also asked the military to strengthen its intelligence unit to ensure that their sources of information are credible.

In his words: “If you get unreliable information, and you rely on it, this type of situation or circumstances will inevitably arise. Their sources must be credible. Uniformed organisations rely on sources which turn out to be critical intelligence.

“If it fails, the consequences are there. So, I think they should test their intelligence before they act on it”. In his submissions, Dr Abiodun Layonu (SAN) while commiserating with the victims and families of those that died, described the incident as the fallout of human failure.

“It was an error of human intervention, and it shows a default or deficiency in adopting and spending money on appropriate technological advancement. “If the military has advanced technology and appropriate one for that matter, they would have been able to calibrate the equipment properly to know the exact spot or the place where they are dropping their bomb.

“They had no intention of bombing civilians, I do not think it was a deliberate action, clearly they were after terrorists, and they must have been misguided or misconstrued their position as to have dropped the bombs in a wrong place,” he posited. Dr Layonu called on the military to take advantage of what is available by way of technology to be able to avoid such a sad occurrence.

“It has happened before, but one must commend the NAF for embarking on an investigation to enable the Chief of Air Staff to come up with an informed position.

In his comments, a Lagos-based lawyer, Ige Asemudara, disclosed that the solution to the problem lies with the military. “A civilian can hardly profer a solution to a technical or tactical military problem. Yes, it is recurring but the solution is still with the military.

The military high command should first investigate the incident whether it was innocent, negligent, reckless or delibrate. “If deliberate, the soldiers involved must be brought to book and the military must immediately purge itself. If it is innocent, negligent or reckless, a new round of training and war reorientation must be given to the officers and men deployed.

They must be properly prepared for their job. We cannot afford to be losing those who are supposed to be collaborators on ground, innocent people who work hard to safeguard their people”, the lawyer said. In his submissions, a rights activist, Kabir Akingbolu, was critical of the military hierarchy for failing to put the menace under check.

Akingbolu said: “It is not in doubt that the accidental killing of civilians during military operations is becoming incessant and nothing seems to have been done to halt the trend. “I think it is high time Nigerians rise up and demand an end to this ugly trend. It smacks incompetence for a supposedly well-trained military officer to be committing this kind of grave error during operations.

It’s very unfortunate and also irresponsible on the part of the military hierarchy that this kind of incident is happening repeatedly. “I also want to advise families of various victims to file legal actions against the military for damages. Human lives should not be wasted in this careless manner. It’s quite sad”.