A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jet on a mission against Boko Haram extremists mistakenly bombed men of the Nigerian Army on Sunday, killing over 20 officers, a military source has said.

“The soldiers who were reinforced from Ngandu village were said to be on their way to Mainok, headquarters of the Kaga Local Government Area of Borno state which was under attack by militants from the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād,” according to SaharaReporters.

It said that “the terrorists who came in no fewer than 15 gun trucks also burnt down the military base.”

The portal quoted a source as disclosing that a reinforcement team of the Nigerian Army sent to the community was mistakenly bombed by an Air Force fighter jet.

“The Boko Haram terrorists disguised in military uniform and gained access to the camp. They came in different groups and could not be counted. The Nigerian Army were pinned down, they requested for reinforcement, the reinforcement got on their way only to get smoked by the Nigerian Airforce.

“The (reinforcement team) was coming from Ngandu and were killed by an airstrike. The Air Force mistook them for Boko Haram as both were cladded in similar military uniform and operational vehicles,” the source was quoted as saying.

Reacting to the trending report, NAF has promised to investigate the incident and make its findings public.