Breaking: Several feared dead as military “mistakenly” bombs IDP camp in Borno
A costly mistake by the Nigerian military may have left several Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) dead in Borno State.
A bomb was said to have been “mistakenly” dropped on the embattled persons inside the Rann IDP camp by a military plane on Tuesday.
Thousands of IDPs seek refuge from Boko Haram at the camp in Kala-balge Local Government Area of the state.
Premium Times reports that at least two persons were feared dead and a hundred others were injured and needed to be evacuated to hospitals after the military’s gross mistake.
Among the injured were officials of the Doctors without Borders, MSF, reports say.
The military spokesperson, Brig. Rabe Abubakar, said soldiers got information that Boko Haram members were lurking in the area and decided to combat the terrorists through air strikes.
It was a grossly miscalculated and regrettable attack, Abubakar admitted.
Hospitals in Maiduguri have been told to receive and promptly treat the injured, while an helicopter belonging to the International Red Cross, ICRC, has also been deployed to the camp to evacuate wounded persons to the various hospitals.
“This morning today, we received reports about gathering of Boko Haram terrorists somewhere in Kala Balge Local Government area of Borno State. We got a coordinate and I directed that the air should go to address the problem,” the Theatre Commander of Nigerian forces in Borno, Maj. Gen. Lucky Irabor, said at a press conference.
“Unfortunately the strike was conducted but it turned out that the locals somewhere in Rann were affected.
“We are yet to get the details of the casualties. But we have some civilians that have been killed, others are wounded and we also have two of our soldiers that were also wounded. Among some that are wounded are local staffs of the Medicine Sans Frontiers as well as ICRC,” he said.
Residents in Borno have largely been victims of ceaseless Boko Haram attacks since the sect gained notoriety years ago and the camps have only provided succour for displaced persons.
