At least 16 civilians were killed in a military airstrike in the northwestern Nigerian state of Zamfara when a pilot mistakenly identified local self-defence forces as criminal gangs, residents reported to AFP on Sunday.
This incident marks the second deadly accidental airstrike on civilians since December 25, when a bombing in Sokoto state targeted terrorists but resulted in the deaths of civilians in two villages.
The Nigerian military has been engaged in a long-standing battle against criminal gangs, referred to as “bandits,” who have plagued communities in northwestern and central Nigeria. These groups conduct raids, kill and abduct villagers for ransom, and burn homes after looting them.
On Saturday night, a military jet struck a group of residents who had mobilized from several nearby villages to confront bandits who had attacked Dangebe village in Zurmi district, stealing livestock and setting homes on fire.
Sa’idu Ibrahim, a local resident, said the group had chased away the bandits and was returning to their villages when the fighter jet bombed them near Tungar Kara village. “The group was returning to their villages after chasing away the bandits who attacked Dangebe when the fighter jet bombed them,” Ibrahim explained.
Villagers managed to recover 16 bodies and took several injured people to the hospital, he said. Bube Namare, another resident, added that the toll may rise as search efforts continue.
In response to the tragedy, Amnesty International called for an “immediate and impartial investigation” into the airstrike that killed at least 20 people.
Similar incidents of bombings targeting civilians have occurred in the past during military operations against terrorists and bandits. In December 2023, a Nigerian military airstrike mistakenly hit a Muslim religious gathering in Kaduna state, killing at least 85 people, mostly women and children.
In 2017, a military jet killed at least 112 people when it struck a camp housing displaced people in Rann, near the Cameroon border.
