Nigerian military air strikes targeting Islamist militants in the country’s northeast have hit a village market, with local officials and residents saying at least 200 civilians are feared dead.
The incident took place on Saturday night in a village in Yobe State, near the border with Borno State, an area long affected by insurgency-linked violence.
A councillor for the area and local residents said the strikes occurred while the military was pursuing suspected militants. The region has been at the centre of a prolonged conflict involving Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which has killed thousands and displaced millions over the past 17 years.
A United Nations security memo cited by AFP stated that four Nigerian Air Force fighter jets carried out air strikes that mistakenly hit the Jilli market, killing at least 56 people and injuring 14 others during an operation targeting Boko Haram fighters allegedly present at the site.
Human rights group Amnesty International said on social media platform X that more than 100 people were killed and 35 others seriously injured, while local chief Lawan Zanna Nur estimated total casualties — including dead and injured — at around 200.
The Nigerian military, however, said it had conducted a “successful precision air strike” on a known terrorist enclave near the abandoned village of Jilli, claiming that “scores of terrorists” were killed. It did not directly address reports of civilian casualties.
In a separate statement, the Nigerian Air Force said it had launched an investigation following reports that the strike may have affected a local market, resulting in civilian deaths.
The latest incident adds to a series of controversial air strikes in northern Nigeria in recent years, including previous cases where civilians were mistakenly killed during operations against armed groups.
Meanwhile, Boko Haram and ISWAP have intensified attacks in recent months, with increasing assaults on military positions as both groups continue efforts to expand influence in the region. The wider security situation in Nigeria remains under international scrutiny amid ongoing counterterrorism support and training assistance from foreign partners.
