Civilians have been caught within the crossfire and killed in navy air strikes geared toward militants, although the authorities generally dispute hitting civilians.
Africa’s most populous nation has been preventing a jihadist insurgency for 17 years, since Boko Haram’s 2009 rebellion, which has seen the emergence of highly effective splinter teams, together with Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
A UN safety memo seen by AFP, acknowledged that “4 Nigerian Air Power (NAF) fighter jets launched airstrikes that mistakenly killed at the least 56 folks and injured 14 others on the Jilli market… on April 11.”
“This occurred throughout a navy operation focusing on Boko Haram fighters who visited the market to conduct terrorism actions,” it stated.
Amnesty Worldwide earlier stated on X that there have been “greater than 100 useless” and 35 folks critically wounded.
Native chief Lawan Zanna Nur, in the meantime, stated: “The overall casualties, useless and injured, are round 200.”
MILITARY SAY AIR STRIKE SUCCESSFUL
Nigeria’s navy stated it had “efficiently carried out a precision air strike on a recognized terrorist enclave and logistics hub positioned close to the deserted village of Jilli”.
It stated “scores of terrorists” have been killed within the strike, however didn’t point out any civilian casualties.
In a separate assertion, the air drive stated it had launched an investigation following stories that its airstrike “could have affected a neighborhood market in Jilli, leading to civilian casualties”.
This strike is the newest in a sequence of such incidents within the north of the nation.
In January 2025, a navy airstrike killed at the least 16 folks in northwestern Zamfara state after a military jet mistook native vigilantes for legal gangs.
A month earlier, a navy jet killed 10 folks when it hit villages whereas bombing jihadist positions in neighbouring Sokoto state.
In December 2023, a Nigerian navy airstrike mistook a Muslim spiritual gathering for bandits in Kaduna state, killing at the least 85 folks.
And in January 2017, at the least 112 folks have been killed when a fighter jet struck a camp housing 40,000 folks displaced by jihadist violence close to the border with Cameroon.
BOKO HARAM, ISWAP INCREASE ATTACKS
Jihadist violence had slowed from its peak in round 2015, however Boko Haram and ISWAP have not too long ago elevated assaults in northeastern Nigeria, vying to ascertain a caliphate.
They’ve additionally ramped up their assaults on the navy, overrunning bases and killing troopers.
Northwestern elements are gripped by legal gangs – domestically referred to as bandits – that raid villages and extort farmers and artisanal miners and kill.
Nigeria is going through worldwide scrutiny over its safety scenario, together with stress from US President Donald Trump, who ordered bombardments on Islamists militants final Christmas.
Early this 12 months, the US started deploying 200 troops to Nigeria to supply technical and coaching help to troopers in preventing jihadist teams.
