Amnesty International alleges over 100 civilians killed in Zamfara airstrike

Amnesty International has alleged that more than 100 civilians were killed following a military airstrike on a crowded market in Zamfara State, raising fresh concerns over civilian casualties linked to Nigeria’s counter-banditry operations.

The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday at the Tumfa market in Zurmi Local Government Area, where residents had gathered for the community’s weekly trading activities.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Amnesty International accused the Nigerian Air Force of carrying out the strike during peak market hours, when hundreds of traders, women, and children were present.

According to the rights group, eyewitnesses reported seeing military aircraft hovering over the area before bombs were dropped on the busy marketplace.

“It was not a bandit camp or a forest hideout,” one witness quoted by Amnesty said. “People were buying and selling food items when the explosions happened.”

The organization described the incident as a possible violation of international humanitarian law and called for an immediate, transparent, and independent investigation into the operation.

Amnesty International’s Nigeria Director, Isa Sanusi, said the incident reflects a growing pattern of deadly airstrike errors in conflict-affected communities.

“This shows a disturbing disregard for civilian lives,” Sanusi stated, noting that similar incidents have occurred in recent months during military offensives against armed groups in northern Nigeria.

The allegation comes weeks after reports of another deadly military airstrike in Jilli, Yobe State, where rights groups claimed that dozens of civilians were killed during an operation targeting insurgents.

Reacting to the latest claims, the Nigerian military defended the operation, insisting that the strike targeted what it described as a terrorist enclave linked to armed bandit groups operating in the area.

A spokesperson for the Defence Headquarters, Michael Onoja, dismissed initial reports of mass civilian casualties as inaccurate but confirmed that military operations had taken place in Zurmi district.

The military later stated that it would investigate reports of possible collateral damage arising from the strike.

Security analysts say the incident highlights the growing challenge of distinguishing armed groups from civilians in rural communities heavily affected by banditry and insurgency.

Hospitals in Zurmi and nearby communities are reportedly treating several survivors suffering from blast-related injuries and shrapnel wounds, while local residents continue to search for missing relatives.

The latest controversy is expected to intensify calls from civil society groups and international observers for stricter operational safeguards during military air operations in civilian-populated areas across northern Nigeria.