The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone E stakeholders forum has spoken out against a recent airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force that hit a busy market along the Borno-Yobe border and killed many civilians.
The student body called the event “tragic, avoidable, and unprofessional” in a statement released on Sunday. They said that the airstrike accidentally hit Jilli Market, a busy weekly trading center, instead of the intended insurgent targets. The forum said that up to 200 people died and dozens more were hurt.
The operation was said to be part of Operation Hadin Kai, a military campaign against insurgent groups in the North-East, such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province.
NANS, whose secretary is Zakari Hashim, said that the military had failed to gather intelligence, identify targets, and carry out operations correctly. They also pointed out that civilians are still suffering the most from mistakes made by the military.
It said that incidents like this happening over and over again make it very clear that people living in conflict-affected areas are not safe.
It expressed its support for the people who live in the affected areas, especially in the Gubio local government council and the Geidam local government area, while also comforting the families of the victims and those hurt in the attack, many of whom are getting care in hospitals in Geidam and Damaturu.
NANS praised the armed forces for their work against insurgency, but they also said that protecting civilian lives must always be the most important thing in any military operation.
The group asked the federal government, the defense headquarters, and the Nigerian Air Force to look into the incident on their own, make sure the victims are compensated, and put in place stronger measures to stop it from happening again.
