Two Main Major Fears Raised By People As Nigerian Troops Move To Deploy US Super Tucano In Bombing Bandit

 

Today Nigerian troops are set to deploy the US Super Tucano in

combating the bandits who have been causing terror, kidnapping people for ransom and killing innocent people especially in the Northern part of the country.

While the deployment of the Super Tucano is a good move, there are major fears being expressed by some Nigerians over the move to do that. This is because using that kind of sophisticated military hardware can also poses risks to civilians who are not targets since the main targets are bandits who have now been designated as terrorists. This article will discuss the two main fears raised by stakeholders and other people regarding the use of the US Super Tucano in bombing bandits.

1.Firstly Civilian settlements may be affected. This is the first fear raised over the planned use of the Super Tucano in bombing the bandits/terrorists. In the past, some settlements or residential areas of innocent civilians were affected during military operations against terrorists and other criminals elements. Sadly, some innocent people lost their lives after their settlements were mistakenly hit by airstrikes. According to a report by The Punch, there are more than three instances when such sad incidents took place.

Some of them include: the one that happened in the camp of the Internally Displaced Persons in Borno on January 17, 2017 where 115 people died. Another one took place at Shokotoko village in Damboa LGA in Borno on April 9, 2020 and many people were affected. There are other instances. People are afraid that such casualties may result if care is not taken while deploying the Super Tucano which is even more powerful than some previous weapons used in operations.
 

2. Secondly More civilians used as human shields by bandits may be killed during the bombardment. As a war strategy, bandits and terrorists have been using their civilian victims as human shields. This means that if the troops really want to engage and strike them, it may result in the death of the civilian victims instead. This is because in most cases, the civilian victims used as human shield would be hit and killed while the terrorists who are the main targets tend to escape afterwards.


Stakeholders and other Nigerians raised this fear that more civilian victims may be killed if the Super Tucano is being used. They are also asking how the military authorities and the troops will devise ways to avoid this scenario while at the same time striking the right targets (the bandits). This is actually a dicey situation.

Although, the military authorities assured that they would deploy professional and well trained pilots who are experienced in precision bombing to handle the Super Tucano. It is left to be seen how the operation goes smoothly amid these fears raised. It is expected the the President Muhammadu Buhari led federal government will consider the options and do the needful to ensure that civilians are not affected while deploying the Super Tucano.

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