The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has paid compensation to families affected by a 2021 airstrike in Buhari Village, Yobe state, officially acknowledging the incident as an “unfortunate mistake.”

The event, which took place in Damaturu, saw NAF disburse a total of ₦23 million to the victims.

Each of the eight families who lost a relative received ₦1 million, while each of the 30 injured survivors was granted ₦500,000, Blueprint.ng reports.

Air Commodore U.U. Idris, the Air Component Commander of Operation HADIN KAI, who represented the Chief of the Air Staff, stated the force’s regret.

“I wish to state categorically that this incident was not intentional. It was a mistake that occurred during an operation targeting a Boko Haram enclave,” he said.

Brigadier General Abdulsalam Dahiru (Rtd), the Yobe state governor’s special adviser on security, provided context, noted that the strike in the “Surgeons’ Enclave” area was aimed at terrorists but tragically affected civilians.

He explained the difficulty of avoiding such casualties in a conflict where insurgents are embedded within civilian populations.

Beyond the cash payments, the NAF is building a solar-powered borehole in the community to support livelihoods, a gesture praised by Yobe state officials.

The Yobe state Commissioner of Justice, Barrister Saleh Samanja, hailed the compensation as a crucial step in strengthening civil-military relations.

The state government, which had previously covered the victims’ medical bills, facilitated the event, bringing a measure of closure to an incident that has lingered for nearly three years.