Mary Onyia
The Nigerian government has commenced investigation into the bombing on Wednesday in Buhari village in Yobe state by the Nigerian Air Force where about nine people including civilians were allegedly killed and injured, while pursuing suspected Islamist insurgents.
Yobe state is in the northeast of Nigeria and is the hotbed of different islamist insurgents: Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West African (ISWAP) branch.
Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, Headquarters, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwat in a statement on Thursday, in Abuja denied culpability, adding that a board of inquiry had been set up to thoroughly investigate the circumstance of the incident.
He further explained that a fighter jet responded to intelligence on suspicious movements of suspected insurgents from either the Boko Haram group or ISWAP on Wednesday and fired “some probing shots”, on noticing some suspicious movement.
“The aircraft while operating South of Kanama observed suspicious movement consistent with the insurgents behavior whenever a jet aircraft was overhead.”
“ Accordingly, the pilot fired some probing shots,” the NAF spokesman said, adding, ‘ it is important to state that the area is well known for continuous insurgents activities.”