The Defence Headquarters has explained why it ‘mistakenly’ bombed the camp of IDPs in Rann, killing over 112 persons.
The Force 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 premeditated.
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 Friday.
“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.