AT least 20 civilians were killed in a Nigerian military airstrike over the weekend in Zamfara State, residents told newsmen yesterday.
The tragic incident occurred as local vigilantes pursued bandits who had attacked Mani and Wabi villages in the Maru district.
Eyewitnesses reported that a military jet mistakenly targeted the vigilantes, mistaking them for the armed gang they were chasing. The airstrike hit between the villages of Maraya and Wabi, resulting in heavy civilian casualties.
“We were hit by double tragedy on Saturday,” said Buhari Dangulbi, a resident. “First, dozens of our people and several cows were taken by bandits, and then those who went after them were bombed by a fighter jet. It killed 20 of them.”
Two other residents, Ishiye Kabiru and Alka Tanimu, confirmed the death toll and provided similar accounts of the incident. Tanimu added, “We will still have to pay ransom to retrieve those kidnapped, while the stolen cows are gone forever.”
The Nigerian military has not yet issued an official response.
This incident is the latest in a series of airstrikes in the northwest that have claimed civilian lives.
Previous strikes in Zamfara, Sokoto, and Kaduna States have resulted in scores of casualties, including women and children, often due to mistaken identity during military operations.
Northwestern Nigeria continues to battle the scourge of criminal gangs—commonly referred to as “bandits”—who raid villages, steal livestock, and abduct residents for ransom. While the military conducts air operations to eliminate the threats, civilians remain vulnerable to deadly errors.