Reps mourn victims of accidental bombing in Borno, condemn UNIMAID blast
The House of Representatives on Wednesday expressed regrets and sadness over the accidental bombing of the camp of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at Rann, Kalabalge Local Government Area of Borno state.
This follows the adoption of a motion sponsored by Rep. Muhammad Sani Zorro in which he expressed regrets and sadness over the deaths and injury of Internally Displaced Persons as well as humanitarian workers during the air raid carried out by the air force against suspected Boko Haram terrorists.
Therefore, the House resolved to constitute a 10-member committee to among other things, visit the scene of the disaster and commiserate with families of victims and the state government.
Lawmakers observed a minute silence in memory of the dead and injured victims.
Rep. Zorro, who acknowledged the preliminary explanation by the armed forces that the incident was not a deliberate act of targeting civilian targets and not a hostile attack on civilian population however, called for the need to ascertain whether the air strike was carried out in accordance with strict observation of the rules of engagement.
This according to him, will lay to rest the suspicion on whether the incident was deliberate or otherwise.
“Although, the armed forces have given preliminary explanation that the incident was not a deliberate act of targeting the civilian population, it is also important to find out if the discharge was as a result of human error,” he stated.
Contributing to debate on the motion, Rep. Abdulrazak Namdas said that an investigation into the incident will help avert a repeat of such a disaster.
Similarly, Rep. Mohammed Sani Abdu in his contribution said that the quality of intelligence within the armed forces needs to be looked into, adding that proper coordination between all security agencies is paramount in all operations.
When constitued, the investigative committee will also ascertain the level of response to the emergency assistance needed by surviving victims and their families and also ascertain the extent to which emergency and adequate health service are being extended to victims of the mishap.
In a related development, the House also condemned the twin-bomb blast by suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers at the University of Maiduguri on Tuesday.
It urged security agencies in the state to intensify intelligence gathering operations and put adequate proactive measures in place around tertiary institutions in Borno state to avoid the reoccurrence of a similar attack.
