ABUJA, Nigeria — Around 100 civilians were killed on Sunday in a series of airstrikes and armed raids, according to witnesses and rights groups, marking one of the bloodiest days in Nigeria’s long-running internal conflict.
The casualties were reported across the country’s northwest and central regions, where the military is locked in a brutal struggle against criminal gangs, known locally as “bandits”.
A Market in Ruins
The most devastating incident occurred in the northwestern state of Zamfara. Community leaders and residents told news agencies that a Nigerian military airstrike hit a crowded market, reportedly killing at least 72 people.
Amnesty International’s Nigeria chapter put the figure higher, stating that “at least 100 civilians” died in the attack. Witnesses described a scene of horror, with one resident reporting that bodies were “blown beyond recognition.” While the market was allegedly controlled by criminal gangs, the vast majority of those present were locals going about their daily business.
Strikes in the Middle Belt
The bloodshed was not limited to the northwest. In central Niger State, families reported that another air force strike targeting bandits killed 13 civilians.
The military has denied that its operations resulted in civilian deaths in either state, maintaining that the strikes successfully targeted “neutralised” armed threats.
A Multi-Front Crisis
The events of Sunday highlight the increasingly precarious position of civilians caught between state forces and the heavily armed gangs they are fighting.
- Delayed Information: News of such attacks often takes days to filter out from Nigeria’s remote, rural areas where telecommunications are frequently disrupted.
- Bandit Attacks: As the military launched its air campaign, bandits carried out their own retaliatory raids on Sunday, reportedly killing dozens more in village attacks.
The Human Toll
By Monday, as the scale of the carnage became clearer, it appeared that the combined actions of the military and the gangs had resulted in a death toll of at least 117 people in a single 24-hour period.
The Nigerian government is under mounting pressure to curb the violence, which has displaced millions and devastated the country’s agricultural heartlands. However, the use of air power in densely populated rural areas continues to draw sharp criticism from human rights monitors concerned about the rising cost in innocent lives.
Add Comment