Amnesty International is calling for an investigation into a “reckless” attack in the violent state of Zamfara.
The military attacks in northwestern Nigeria have killed at least 20 people, according to military and local residents, prompting calls from human rights groups to investigate the attack.
The strike took place over the weekend. In Zamfara, it is one of the areas affected by violence from armed groups commonly known as “bandits.”
Nigerian Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodam said the strike followed the intelligence that “a considerable number of terrorists are gathering unsuspecting settlements and preparing to attack.”
“More information confirmed that the bandits killed some farmers and acquiring many civilians, including women and children,” Ezidham said in a statement, adding that two local vigilantes were killed and the other two were injured in crossfires.
However, a group of local vigilantes chasing the gang was accidentally bombed by a Nigerian military spurt, according to residents cited by AFP news agency.
The Air Force was called by villagers who were attacked at the beginning of the weekend. Locals said an unknown number of people were also injured in the strike.
“We were hit by a double tragedy on Saturday,” said Buhari Dangurbi, a resident of the affected area. “Our people and a few cows were taken by bandits, and those who chased the bandits to save them were attacked by fighters. It killed 20 of them.”
Residents told AFP that the bandits had previously attacked Mani and Wabi villages in the Mal district, stole cows and acquitted several people. In response, the vigilantes began their pursuit to recover prisoners and stolen livestock.
“The military planes arrived, started firing, and started killing at least 20 people,” Abdullahi Ali, a local hunter militia resident in Mani, told Reuters news agency.
Another resident, Ishiye Kabiru, said, “Our vigilantes from Maraya and nearby communities gathered to chase the bandits. Unfortunately, a military jet struck them.”
Alka Thanim of the region added:
Amnesty International condemned the strike and urged a full investigation.
“Attacks by bandits clearly guarantee a response from the state, but launching a reckless atmosphere of attack on the village is illegal again and again,” the Rights Group said.
Nigerian troops have previously admitted that they accidentally attacked civilians during air operations targeting armed gangs.
At least 16 vigilantes were killed in a similar strike in Zamfara’s Zurmi district in January.
In December 2022, more than 100 civilians were killed in Mutunji village, chasing bandits. A year later, at least 85 people were killed in an attack on religious gatherings in Kaduna.
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