A Nigerian Air Force fighter jet on a mission against bandits in Kaduna State has mistakenly bombed a ground soldier, PRNigeria reports.
This comes as the fighter jets also killed scores of fleeing armed bandits in the area.
It was learnt that the unnamed ground soldier lost his life after sustaining ‘terrible’ injuries from the military bombardments he was caught in.
The terrorists, who were fleeing troops’ onslaughts in Niger, were intercepted at Labi, along Kaduna – Birnin Gwari Road, a security intelligence officer said.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the bandits were reported to be in contact with ground troops around the LABI general area.
“Subsequently, the contact with the troops led to the bandits taking the option of following another route to continue their movement.
“Effective intelligence efforts necessitated the blocking of their alternative route by the reinforcing ground forces and the dispatch of attack platforms bearing heavy armament for effective annihilation of the armed bandits.
“On arrival, visual and radio contact were established with the ground forces who described the direction of the bandits to the Crew.
“The armed bandits and herds of cattle were brought to instant doom as airstrikes were conducted in close succession over the general area. Fleeing bandits were followed up and engaged decisively and with sincerity of purpose,” he said.
Villagers in the past have reported some civilian casualties in near-daily bombardments in Northern Nigeria.
In 2021, a military jet that came to repel an attack by Boko Haram dropped a bomb that landed in a compound where civilians were having child christening.
A fighter jet also on a mission against Boko Haram extremists in April 2021 mistakenly bombed men of the Nigerian Army, killing over 20 officers.
The soldiers who were reinforced from Ngandu village were said to be on their way to Mainok, headquarters of the Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State which was under attack by militants from the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād.
Some of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 and freed last year also said three of their classmates were killed by Air Force bombardments.
In June 2021, an offensive aerial bombardment of the NAF Alpha jet carried out around Genu town in Niger State resulted in the killing of some wedding guests.