On Tuesday night, a tragic incident occurred near the southern border of Benue in Doma Local Government Area, as the Nigerian Air Force conducted yet another operation that ended in the loss of innocent lives.
Eyewitnesses reported that at least 47 people, mainly Fulani pastoralists, were killed and scores injured, while the governor of Nasarawa confirmed the attack on Wednesday afternoon.
The military spokesman stated that the air raids were only targeted at bandits, however, failed to provide any information on the number of bandits neutralized or other casualties.
This tragic event has left charred remains and a community in mourning, with 27 bodies promptly buried in line with Islamic rites. It is unclear how many cattle were lost in the military bombing.
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The attack has sparked confrontations between Benue authorities and the Fulani community between the two states.
According to witnesses who spoke to the Nigerian media outlet, People Gazette, the incident occurred shortly after a group of Fulani herdsmen went to Benue to recover their seized livestock.
After paying about N27 million in fines to recover their cattle, they began a journey back to their base in Nasarawa before the bombs were dropped on them.
This is not the first time that the Nigerian Air Force has faced criticism for its actions.
In recent years, there have been numerous reports of the military making mistakes during operations to drive out terrorists, bandits, and other violent criminals from the nation’s forests.
This is the eighth erroneous bombing of civilians since 2017, with none of the officials being held responsible.
The Nigerian Air Force has a responsibility to protect the citizens of Nigeria from harm, but it is clear that their actions have resulted in the loss of innocent lives.
The tragic incident in Rukubi serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of war and the importance of taking all necessary precautions to protect the lives of innocent civilians.
The question remains, how did this tragic incident occur? What led to the Nigerian Air Force mistakenly bombing over 100 civilians, resulting in the confirmed deaths of over 50 innocent people?
It has been reported that the Nigerian Air Force has been conducting operations in the area to combat bandits and other criminal elements.
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However, it is clear that there was a failure in communication and intelligence gathering that led to the tragic mistake. It is important for the Nigerian Air Force to thoroughly investigate the incident and take necessary actions to prevent such tragic errors from occurring in the future.
-mandynews
The word “mistake” was used to make it sound appealing….. How come they haven’t made any mistake with the terrorists in the Sambisa Forests or those kidnapping the train passengers?…. This should be the 3 or 4 mistake from same supposedly world class Nigeria Airforce from the Giant of Africa…. I dey hail una.. God rest the dead…so many unnecessary deaths in this APC government.