Amnesty alleges over 100 civilians killed in Zamfara market military airstrike

Crime Diary

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — Amnesty International has called on Nigerian authorities to investigate a military airstrike that allegedly killed more than 100 civilians at Tumfa market in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

In a statement issued on Monday, the rights organisation said the incident occurred on Sunday, May 10, during activities at the weekly market.

According to Amnesty International, residents reported seeing military jets hovering over the area around noon before the aircraft allegedly returned about 2:00 p.m. and bombarded the market.

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The organisation claimed that more bodies were still being recovered from the scene, while some victims reportedly died on their way to the hospital.

“Dozens of people injured are currently receiving treatment at the general hospitals of Zurmi and Shinkafi. Eyewitnesses said many of those killed are women and girls,” the statement said.

Amnesty International compared the incident to an earlier airstrike in April at Jilli, a border community between Borno State and Yobe State, where it alleged that over 100 civilians were killed during a military operation targeting a weekly market.

The organisation argued that such incidents reflect a growing pattern of civilian casualties linked to the conflict involving armed groups, bandits and military operations in northern Nigeria.

“Launching air raids is not a legitimate law enforcement method by anyone’s standard. Such reckless use of deadly force is unlawful, outrageous and lays bare the Nigerian military’s disregard for civilian lives,” Amnesty International stated.

As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Armed Forces had not issued an official response to the allegations.