The Defence Headquarters on Friday explained why it
‘mistakenly’ bombed IDPs camp in Rann, killing over 112 persons.
It blamed the incident on what was termed ‘lack of
appropriate marking of the area.’’
Defence spokesman Major General John Enenche after six
months of silence said the attack was not intentional.
But in a brief statement, he blamed “lack of appropriate
marking of the area” for the bombardment.
“Hitherto, people were not expected to amass at that
location,” he said of the camp, which at the time was home to between 20,000
and 40,000 people and was run by the military.
“Furthermore, the location was not reflected in the
operational map as a humanitarian base”, he said.
Enenche said the homeless had gathered “near the camp” at
the time aid agency workers said the first bomb landed just metres (yards) from
the Red Cross office in the camp.
Enenche said Boko Haram fighters, who were known to be
active in the area in northern Borno state, typically amassed before attacking
civilians.
“Hence, it (the location) appeared as a place that could
equally be used for enemy activities,” he told a news conference in Abuja.
“Thus, when mass movement was noticed through aerial
satellite observation, it was taken for Boko Haram terrorists activity, which
needed to be neutralised with speed”, he added.
The statement also said recommendations of the air force
board of inquiry report, which was not published, included sharing of the
precise locations of humanitarian activity with the military.
By Ameh Comrade Godwin
