The Nigerian Air Force has opened an investigation after a military airstrike on Saturday reportedly killed dozens of civilians at a busy market in north-eastern Nigeria, raising fresh concerns over civilian safety during ongoing operations against armed groups in the region.
The incident took place at Jilli market, located along the border area between Borno and Yobe states, where military aircraft were conducting operations targeting Islamist militants. While authorities have not confirmed the exact number of deaths, local residents and human rights groups, including Amnesty International, say more than 100 people may have been killed.
In a statement, the Nigerian Air Force said it had sent a team "to immediately proceed to the location on a fact-finding mission on the allegation".
Nigeria’s military later confirmed the airstrike on Sunday, saying it targeted a location in Jilli "long identified as a major terrorist movement corridor and convergence point for Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists and their collaborators".
It described the operation as "a carefully, well-coordinated planned and intelligence-driven operation", adding that it had "successfully conducted a precision air strike on a known terrorist enclave and logistics hub located near the abandoned village of Jilli".
The military said "scores of terrorists" were killed, but it did not mention any civilian casualties.
Eyewitness accounts and local officials, however, paint a different picture of what happened on the ground.
One of those receiving treatment at hospital said he had gone to the market to buy animals when he was hit.
"I was with about 30 people and we all fell down after being struck," he told Reuters news agency.
A trader injured in the blast, Ahmed Ali, 43, described the moment of panic.
"I became so scared and attempted to run away, but a friend dragged me and we all lay on the ground," he said.
Amnesty International said on X that there were "more than 100 dead" and 35 people seriously wounded.
"We have their pictures and they include children," Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International's Nigeria director, told the Associated Press.
"We are in touch with people that are there, we spoke with the hospital," he said. "We spoke with the person in charge of casualties, and we spoke with the victims," he said.
Local councillor Zanna Nur Geidam also gave a higher toll, saying the total number of dead and injured could be around 200.
"It's a very devastating incident," he said, adding that victims were taken to hospitals in Yobe and Borno states, where at least eight of the injured later died.
"We are talking of dozens dead but it is difficult to give a specific toll," he added.
Hospitals in Yobe state say they are still treating those injured from the strike.
Nigeria’s north-east has in recent years seen repeated cases where air operations targeting armed groups have mistakenly hit civilians, including villages, displaced persons’ camps, and markets.
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