The Nigerian Air Force Has Faced Multiple Accusations Of Killing Civilians After Mistaking Them For Rebels And/Or Armed Gangs

Citizens of a small village in the Nigerian State of Katsina have accused the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) of targeting civilians, after one person was killed and dozens injured after a NAF missile struck the village.

The Nigerian government has been targeting armed gangs and rebels in the northern regions with airstrikes, with the side effect of innocents being killed by friendly fire.

With the most catastrophic friendly fire incident taking place in 2017, when the NAF launched an airstrike on a camp believed to be operated by rebels.

In reality it was a camp set up to help displaced Nigerians and Cameroonians.

The bad intel on the camp resulted in the deaths of over 100 civilians and aid workers, the NAF still denies they operated on false information.

The Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, has announced that his government will be launching an investigation into the NAF's airstrikes to determine if any of the targets held rebel cells or criminal gangs.

Stating: “The actions of our country's air force over the last five to seven years has made me sick, and I apologise to the families and communities scarred by the delinquency of our pilots killing innocent civilians instead of their intended targets.

We'll be conducting an intense review into such incidents of friendly fire by our air force, and swiftly punish those responsible"