Human rights lawyer and activist, Femi Falana SAN, has petitioned the National Human Rights Commission on the 2017 killings in Rann, Borno State which killed dozens of civilians.
Falana in the petition asked the NHRC to investigate the killings which occurred after a Nigerian Air Force jet was reported to have bombed a camp in Rann, Borno State, where thousands of families displaced during the offensive against Boko Haram militants were sheltering.
According to Falana, a Non-Governmental Organization, Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said that its staff in the area had seen at least 200 people wounded and 50 dead following the bombing and expected the death toll to rise.
But the Chairman of Kale-Balge Local Government Area, Babagana Malarima, had refuted the claims that only 50 people died, saying, “we buried 234 persons in Rann after the bombs were dropped on the IDP camp. We have two other injured persons that died while in hospital in Maiduguri.”
The petition reads in part: “Instead of reporting the tragic incident to the Accident Investigation Bureau which is saddled with the responsibility of investigating aircraft accidents in Nigeria, the authorities of the Nigeria Air Force decided not to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the bombing of the IDP camp.
“Although the report of the inquiry was not made public, the Nigeria Air Force blamed the bombing of the camp on an accident. In a statement credited to the NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Olatunkubo Adesanya, it was said that ‘no NAF pilot leaves his base with the intention of going to kill the same set of people he greatly sacrifices day and night to protect.'”
Falana in the petition claimed that to cover up the humanitarian disaster, the NAF claimed that that the IDP camp was not properly marked.
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“While soliciting the understanding and support of all Nigerians and members of the international community regarding the tragic incident, the panel of inquiry and the NAF Authorities have failed to address the payment of compensation to the people who were injured and the families of those who were killed in the bombing incident.
“It is our view that the finding of the military panel that the accident occurred due to the failure of the authorities to mark the IDP camp at Rann confirmed that it was a case of official negligence. However, the tragic incident cannot be blamed on failure to mark the camp in an area that is fully controlled by the army.
“Regrettably, the cry of the council chairman, Mr Malarima for payment of compensation to the families of the deceased, as well as the injured ones have fallen on deaf ears. In marking the second anniversary of the unfortunate incident we are compelled to call on the National Human Rights Commission to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the air crash with a view to preventing the reoccurrence of such humanitarian disaster.
“In addition, the Commission should ensure that the survivors and the families of those who were killed in the bombing incident are compensated by the insurance company which insured the NAF plane,” the petition reads in part.
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