ALMOST six months after 38 herders were killed in the Nigerian Air Force airstrikes in Nasarawa State, the military authority has yet to compensate the victims.
Also, the outcomes of the investigation carried out have not been made public.
This newspaper had reported how controversy trailed the killing of the herders in the Rukubi community of Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State when returning from Makurdi, the Benue State capital, where they went to retrieve over 1,000 cows seized by the Benue Livestock Guards.
Human Rights Watch, which disclosed that the NAF authorities had admitted to the killing, said the military’s delay in owning up to the killing of dozens of civilians only compounded the tragedy of the attack.
It called on NAF to provide financial compensation to the victims and bereaved families.
“The Nigerian Air Force admitted for the first time, in response to an inquiry from Human Rights Watch to carrying out the airstrike,” the report by HRW partly read.
It added, “The air force claimed it carried out the airstrike in response to suspected terrorist activities, but provided no details.
“In a response, on May 17, Air Commodore D. D. Pwajok, on behalf of the chief of air staff, acknowledged that the air force carried out the strike based on credible intelligence and in synergy with other security forces and agencies in Nasarawa State.
“The letter said that air force surveillance footage showed the movement of suspected terrorists who converged around a truck suspected to be a logistics vehicle, which arrived at the location at night and was determined to be a target for the airstrike.
“The letter did not respond to key questions, including how information regarding the suspected threat was considered and verified, whether efforts were made to investigate and verify the identity of those targeted, or if any assessment was carried out before the airstrike, to avoid or mitigate civilian harm.
“The absence of details raises the question of whether the air force carried out the airstrike based on mere suspicion. The letter concluded that the Nigerian air force is committed to upholding human rights and is open to further deliberations on the issue,” the report added.
No fewer than 300 people have been reportedly killed since 2017 by airstrikes which the Nigerian Air Force claimed were targeted at bandits and Boko Haram terrorists.
