Nigerian air force launches investigation after reports say at least 15 people killed in air attack in Zamfara State.
An air raid targeting criminal gangs in northwest Nigeria has accidentally killed civilians, according to officials and reports citing locals.
In a statement on Sunday, the spokesman for the governor of Zamfara State said the Nigerian air force over the weekend targeted so-called bandits, who kill villagers and carry out mass kidnappings, in the Maradun and Zurmi local government areas.
“Regrettably, some members of the Civilian Joint Task Force and local vigilantes were affected during the operation in Tungar Kara,” Sulaiman Bala Idris said.
He added the members of the local self-defence groups were “mistakenly identified as bandits fleeing” the area in Zurmi.
Officials have not provided an exact death toll, but resident Salisu Maradun was quoted as saying by The Associated Press news agency that they counted up to 20 bodies while 10 others were being treated for injuries. Residents also told Reuters news agency that at least 15 civilians, including local security guards, were killed.
The air force said it had launched a “comprehensive investigation” into the incident and promised to work “to minimise and mitigate any harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure”.
It added that its operation had “successfully eliminated several bandits and led to the recovery of some kidnap victims”.
In recent years, the air force has been making increasing use of aerial attacks in northwest and central Nigeria against armed groups and gangs.
However, the air assaults have mistakenly killed civilians on several occasions, including in December 2023 when more than 80 civilians were killed during a religious gathering in the northern Kaduna State.
According to the Lagos-based SBM Intelligence research firm, military air raids have ended up killing some 400 civilians since 2017.