The Nigerian Air Force has initiated an inquiry following reports of significant civilian fatalities in an airstrike that targeted Jilli market, located along the border of Borno and Yobe states. The incident occurred on Saturday while military aircraft were engaged in operations against Islamist militants.
Local residents and Amnesty International report that over 100 individuals lost their lives in the strike. While authorities have not yet verified the casualty figures, several hospitals in Yobe state are currently treating the injured.
In an official statement, the Nigerian Air Force announced that a team has been dispatched to the site for a fact-finding mission regarding the allegations.
One survivor, who was at the market to purchase livestock, recounted his experience, stating, “I was with about 30 people when we all fell down after being struck.”
The military confirmed the airstrike yesterday, asserting that it was aimed at a location in Jilli long recognized as a significant corridor for terrorist activity associated with the Islamic State West Africa Province and their affiliates.
Describing the operation as “carefully planned and intelligence-driven,” the military claimed to have successfully executed a precision strike on what they termed a known terrorist stronghold near the deserted village of Jilli. However, the statement did not address any civilian casualties.
According to reports from Yobe’s Geidam district councillor, Lawan Zanna Nur Geidam, along with three local residents and an official from an international humanitarian organization, the death toll could be as high as 200. “It’s a very devastating incident,” Geidam remarked, noting that many injured individuals were transported to hospitals in Yobe and Borno.
Ahmed Ali, a 43-year-old trader who sustained injuries during the blast, described his fear during the chaos: “I became so scared and attempted to run away, but a friend dragged me down, and we all lay on the ground.”
Amnesty International reported via X that there were “more than 100 dead” and at least 35 individuals seriously injured. Isa Sanusi, Amnesty’s Nigeria director, stated, “We have their pictures, and they include children.” He added that they have been in contact with local sources, including hospitals and victims.
Councillor Geidam further indicated that “the total casualties, both dead and injured, is around 200.” Many of the wounded were taken to medical facilities in nearby Geidam and Maiduguri, where at least eight more fatalities occurred yesterday. “We are talking of dozens dead, but it’s challenging to provide an exact figure,” he noted.
The tragic event is part of a troubling pattern in Nigeria’s northeast, where military air operations targeting Islamist insurgents have frequently resulted in unintended strikes on civilian populations, affecting villages, displaced persons’ camps, and marketplaces.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong