At least 20 people were killed in a military airstrike in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state over the weekend, residents and Amnesty International reported on Monday.
The incident occurred in Maraya and Wabi villages, where armed groups, known as bandits, have been rampant.
According to residents, the military operation was carried out by the Nigerian Air Force at the request of villagers who had suffered a bandit attack.
However, the airstrike mistakenly targeted the villagers, killing at least 20 people and wounding an unknown number.
Abdullahi Ali, a resident and member of a militia group of hunters, said the military aircraft arrived and started firing, killing many of their people.
Auwal Idris, another resident, stated that a jet dropped a bomb close to where community guards were fighting bandits, resulting in the deaths of 20 guards.
This incident is the latest in a series of airstrikes that have killed hundreds of civilians in recent years as Nigeria battles various armed groups.
Amnesty International has condemned the attack and called for authorities to investigate the incident.
“Attacks by bandits clearly warrant a response from the state, but to launch reckless airstrikes into villages — again and again — is absolutely unlawful,” the rights group said.
This incident is a repeat of previous mistakes, including a January airstrike that killed 16 people in Tungar Kara, another town in Zamfara.
