Human rights groups in Nigeria are condemning a pattern of civilian deaths from airstrikes in the northeast, and are calling for an impartial investigation of the military's operations. This follows reports from local residents that a weekend airstrike targeting armed gangs in Zamfara state killed at least 15 civilians.
Nigeria’s air force has confirmed it is investigating multiple reports of civilian casualties from the Saturday raid.
An air force spokesperson, Air Vice Marshal Olusola Akinboyewa, stated Sunday that there is no confirmed evidence of civilian casualties and clarified that the airstrike targeted criminal gangs, resulting in the rescue of several people.
Local residents in Tungar Kara village, however, told the news media that at least 15 people were killed, including members of a local militia.
The incident follows a Christmas Day airstrike in nearby Sokoto state that killed 10 civilians.
Isa Sanusi of Amnesty International condemned the reports of frequent civilian casualties.
"It is actually unfortunate that the military is repeatedly doing the same thing — striking without proper verification of their target,” Sanusi said. “It has now reached a level that we can no longer call it a mistake. The reason why the military is doing this is because the government could not hold them to account."
Amnesty International says it has received testimonies and evidence indicating that the recent airstrike in Tungar Kara killed innocent civilians.
Nigerian authorities have struggled to curtail the operations of armed gangs and terror groups, often resorting to aerial strikes to fight them. Civilian deaths, however, have become more frequent.
On Monday, Nigeria’s chief of defense staff, General Christopher Musa, told local media that the military does not intentionally target civilians, and that an investigation into the accident is underway.
Sanusi, however, insisted on greater accountability.
"The military should be asked to hand over every detail they have. A panel should be constituted, including experts in military air operations, so that the exact reason why this is happening should be confirmed and avoided in the future,” Sanusi said, adding, “The families of the victims have also approached us."
Security analyst Chidi Omeje said the military must exercise caution in its aerial operations.
“I’m not sure that when you have this type of intensive military operation, you always get it right. That’s why I’m actually not very comfortable with the use of aerial combat in this manner, because I’m not sure we have reached the point where we can be very precise in our attacks,” Omeje said.
Since 2017, air raids by the military have resulted in the deaths of more than 400 Nigerian civilians, according to SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based research firm.
