Nigerian military kills 16 civilians in Zamfara ‘mistake’ airstrike

At least 16 civilians in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state have been killed in a military airstrike, apparently after they were mistaken for criminal gangs.

Residents told local media that the victims were members of local vigilantes and civilians defending themselves from armed groups known for kidnapping people for ransom.

Militant groups were struck in the Zurmi and Maradun districts and the state governor, Dauda Lawal, offered his condolences to the community.

The military acknowledged the airstrikes, which they said dealt a “decisive blow to the thugs who have been terrorizing villages in the area.”

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said it was investigating “reports of casualties in vigilante forces”.

“While the operation successfully eliminated several bandits and led to the recovery of some kidnap victims, the NAF views with serious concern the reports of civilian deaths during the operation,” the statement said.

It said a “comprehensive investigation” was ongoing to establish the truth of the matter, which would be “reported for the information and reassurance of the public”.

AFP news agency quoted a local resident as saying that civilians were returning to their villages after chasing away the bandits when they were bombed.

The villagers “removed 16 bodies after the attacks and took several more people with serious injuries to the hospital,” Saidu Ibrahim is quoted as saying.

Amnesty International Nigeria put the death toll at 20 and said dozens more were injured in the attack on Tunga Kara village, and called on authorities to “immediately and impartially” investigate the incident.

“Air raids are not a legitimate law enforcement method by anyone’s standards. This reckless use of lethal force is illegal, outrageous and shows the Nigerian military’s shocking disregard for the lives of those they are supposed to protect,” the statement said. .

In recent years, Nigeria’s security forces have been battling powerful criminal gangs known as bandits terrorizing the northwestern and central states. Bandits attack villages, burn houses, kill and kidnap residents for ransom.

There have been several random airstrikes in recent months, including an attack on Christmas Day that killed at least 10 civilians in neighboring Sokoto state.

In 2023, at least 85 civilians, mostly women and children, attending a Muslim religious meeting in a village in Kaduna State were killed after being mistaken for bandits.

In January 2017, at least 112 people were killed when a jet plane struck a camp housing 40,000 people displaced by jihadist violence in the town near the border with Cameroon.