By Gbemiga Olakunle
IT was with distress and dismay that I read from an online portal how the military bombed an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in the North-East, albeit in error. On Tuesday January 17, 2017, Major General Lucky Irabor, the War Theatre Commander, after rising from the euphoria and the applauses that greeted the flushing out of the dreaded Boko Haram sect members from its stronghold in Sambisa forest, announced to the disbelief of the nation that the military bombed an IDP camp which it mistook for a gathering of fleeing Boko Haram terrorists.
According to the General, the military received information that the fleeing terrorists were regrouping in a particular location. And, on charting the co-ordinates, he instructed the air-wing of the military to go and address the situation. But the supposed Boko Haram members gathering turned out to be an IDP camp. By the time the dust raised by this gross act of omission settled down, several residents of this ill-fated camp and some of their caregivers had been mowed down by the “friendly fire power” of the military.
Ironically, these people ran away from the comfort of their homes in the surrounding towns and villages due to the incessant attacks of Boko Haram only to meet their untimely death in a place that is supposed to serve as a City of Refuge for them.
But unfortunately, the messengers of death sent to them were not from their known enemies that they were running away from, but from the error made by an institution that was supposed to protect and shield them from attacks by their enemies.
And, the ensuing questions begin to arise: What really went wrong? Could this be the handwork of fifth columnists who played on the intelligence of our military? Did the military receive a false alert/alarm which it did not subject to the rudiments of proper intelligence processing before taking the ill-fated action? Or, did the mistake arise from the improper charting of the map that produced a wrong co-ordinate and thus led to the hitting of a wrong target?
This writer is a geographer by academic training who wrote his First Degree Thesis on the Role of Geography in Defence: A case study of Nigeria Civil War (1967 – 1970) as far back as 1986 at the University of Ilorin (Unilorin) in Kwara State, Nigeria. And so, I have a good knowledge of how charting of wrong co-ordinates could lead to wrong targets with attendant dire and unpleasant consequences.
And, even if the co-ordinates in the case under review were correct, couldn’t the military pilots involved in this mission observe features around their supposed targets on ground before dropping bombs on them?
At least, they could have recognised one or two features that are not reminiscent of a hurriedly or newly set up camp? And, going spiritual now, could we say it was the spirit of Boko Haram at work? Because this war is more spiritually remotely controlled than what the ordinary eye could see. The military needs to properly investigate this matter with a view to unraveling the mystery surrounding the unintended suicide bombing mission which has led to several casualties and the injury of many others.
We do not want to repeat any quoted figures of casualties. It was a gross mistake, indeed. Thus, thorough investigation is needed to forestall similar errors in future.
Otherwise, false information may be given about genuine religious gatherings on prayer mountains/camps located in other parts of the country by “informants” with sinister motives. They may lie that such gatherings are a re-grouping of the fleeing Boko Haram terrorists. May God forbid this, in Jesus’ name. But, we need to take serious caution.
In this matter, we seriously suspect fifth columnists or the spirit of Boko Haram at work because this is the same fighting force under the overall command of Major-General Lucky Irabor that refused to bomb the Boko Haram members when they smoked them out of the Sambisa forest to avoid bombing their captives (especially the Chibok schoolgirls) in error-a remarkable feat that earned them accolades and commendations from appreciative Nigerians and members of the International Community. It is the same Military that has allegedly bombed a group of people that were under their protection or protective custody. What a paradox and an irony of life!
Despite this unfortunate incident, our military is still adjudged to be one of the best in the Sub-Sahara Region and the Africa continent as a whole. But, this multifaceted Boko Haram war is really inflicting collateral damage on our military institution. That is the truth that our Political Leaders and Leaders of Thought should face in order to help the nation that is at a crossroads by encouraging and motivating the our military officials who are paying the ultimate price in order to keep and maintain the peaceful co-existence of the nation. This is because the mess that our military is clearing now was caused by our politicians for their own primordial and selfish reasons.
For an instance, after causing the scenario (both remote and immediate) that snowballed into a needless insurgence with its dire consequences, a group of privileged politicians and bureaucrats were allegedly profiting from the conditions of the Internally Displaced Person’s (IDPs) that are being catered in certain parts of the country.
In fact, a very top government official is reportedly under investigation by the Presidency for using his high office to allegedly meddle in some contract scams meant to better the lot of these IDPs who are the creations of our politicians’ actions and inactions.
While the nation is still waiting for the outcome of the investigations of the alleged abuse of office by this top government official, the government and its agencies should not further compound the woes of our kith and kin who were forced to live in camps and became refugees in their own motherland for no fault of theirs.
Olakunle, General Secretary, National Prayer Movement, writes via