"NAF officers are highly professional," says Lai Mohammed

Lai Mohammed, the minister of information has condemned the bombing at an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Rann, Borno state by a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) jet on Tuesday, January 17, 2017.

According to Doctors Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the accidental strike carried out by the NAF killed at least 52 civilians and about 120 persons injured.

Mohammed in a statement by his spokesman, Segun Adeyemi on Wednesday, January 18, 2016, said he was saddened as the accidental bombing is not a true reflection of the level of professionalism that he witnessed during the visit.

His words: "One of the things we went away with after spending some two days at the Tactical Air Command in Yola is the strict adherence to operational guidelines and the high level of professionalism of the officers and men, especially the young pilots who fly high-risk missions day and night.

"Among others, we witnessed pre and post-mission briefings for the pilots, the high attention paid to details, especially concerning emergencies and weather, and the evacuation plan in case of accidents. We heard that on several occasions during their sorties, fighter pilots have had to hold their fire after observing the movement of women and children in Sambisa. We also witnessed the same careful disposition when we flew to Sambisa with the pilots.

"It, therefore, came to me as a rude shock to learn, a few hours after leaving Yola, that one of the fighter jets has accidentally bombed civilians, including aid workers,'' the minister added.

The Minister condoled with the families of those who died in the sad event and prayed for quick recovery for the injured.

Alhaji Mohammed recently led members of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group on a guided tour to Yola, where the Air Component of the fight against Boko Haram is based.