From 2017 till date, the Nigerian military has been accused of accidentally bombing about 409 unarmed civilians while targeting terrorists and bandits in the northern part of the country.
Although the military denied some of the claims, insisting terrorists were targeted in the operations, reports indicate that several unsuspecting civilians have been killed in accidental airstrikes.
DAILY POST recalls that on 17 January, 2017, a Nigerian Air Force jet mistakenly bombed an Internally Displaced Persons, IDP camp near the Cameroonian border in Rann, Borno State.
The tragic incident led to the unfortunate death of at least 115 people including about six Red Cross workers.
The incident that was widely reported on both local and international news platforms also got over 100 IDPs injured.
On December 25, 2024, a similar incident occurred in Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa villages in the Surame Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
According to BBC, the military airstrikes were targeting the terror group, Lakurawa in the villages when it mistakenly killed at least ten ‘innocent’ villagers.
The military initially denied the claim but the state governor, Ahmed Aliyu insisted that 10 villagers were killed, while several others were wounded during the operation.
“The military jets were on their mission to eliminate criminal armed groups terrorizing the state, and mistakenly bombed innocent people of this community,” Aliyu said in a statement after visiting the scene of the incident.
Subsequently, the then Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, Christopher Musa accused the two communities of harbouring the Lakurawa terrorist group.
Musa, however, admitted that airstrike, intended to flush out the Lakurawa terrorists mistakenly hit Gidan Sama and Rumtuwa communities, resulting in the deaths of villagers and wounding several others.
In December 2023, a Nigerian army drone strike accidentally killed several civilians observing a Muslim festival in Tudun Biri village, Kaduna State.
DAILY POST recalls that the villagers had gathered for the Maulud celebration when at about 9pm they heard what sounded like an aeroplane followed by a huge explosion.
Amnesty International reported that no fewer than 120 unarmed civilians were murdered in the erroneous airstrike.
On December 18, 2022, an air strike by the Nigerian Air Force killed at least 64 people in Mutumji village in Zamfara state.
Reports indicate that the military targeted bandits causing mayhem in the state, when it allegedly struck ‘innocent’ villagers.
On 24 January, 2023 a military air strike allegedly killed about 50 herders in the Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa state.
According to the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, the explosion that led to the death of its members occurred when some herders went to retrieve their seized cattle from the Benue livestock guards.
When the then Chief of Air Staff, Hassan Abubakar, visited the place, he said the force acted on intelligence that terrorists were operating in the area.
Another erroneous airstrike was reported on Saturday, April 11, 2026 when the military allegedly struck the Jilli Market, located in Yobe State near Gubio local government area of Borno State.
About 50 civilians were reportedly killed, while several others were seriously wounded during the operation.
The military maintained that the location was a legitimate military target, describing Jilli as a known logistics hub and convergence point for fighters of the ISWAP terrorists.
In a statement on Sunday, the Media Information Officer of the Northeast Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Lt. Col. Sanni Uba, said the operation followed sustained intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions that tracked the movements of suspected terrorists, including motorcycles and gun trucks, converging on the area.
Meanwhile the Nigerian Air Force, NAF said it has taken note of reports alleging an erroneous airstrike in Jilli Market.
Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information, Headquarters, Nigerian Air Force, in a statement, said the NAF treats all reports of possible civilian harm with the utmost seriousness and empathy, as the protection of innocent lives remains central to all its operations.
According to the statement, in line with its commitment, the Chief of the Air Staff has directed an immediate activation of the Civilian Harm Accident and Investigation Cell to immediately proceed to the location on a fact-finding mission regarding the allegation.
DAILY POST reports that the latest incident is currently generating reactions as Nigerians call for a thorough investigation and improved intelligence.
Islamic cleric, Ahmad Gumi while reacting to the latest incident, questioned the accountability of those responsible for the operation, asking who authorised and executed the bombings that hit innocent civilians.
He called on the Senate to immediately conduct hearings into what he described as repeated “mistakes” involving the bombing of villages, markets, and other civilian locations.
On his part, Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum is on the side of the Nigerian military, as he disclosed on Sunday that the said market was shut down five years ago.
(Daily Post)
