The northeast of Nigeria became the scene of a bloody incident that was probably caused by a tragic mistake by the government air force. A local market full of civilians was hit in Yobe state during Saturday’s raids on the positions of Boko Haram militants. According to local officials, more than 200 people may have died in the attack
At least 200 people are believed to have been killed Saturday night after airstrikes by Nigerian army planes hit a market in a village in the northeastern state of Yobe, local officials and residents said on Sunday. The attacks were aimed at Islamic militants, TASR reports, according to a Reuters report.
- More than 200 people are said to have died in the air raid of the Nigerian Air Force on the Jilli market.
- The incident took place in Yobe state near the border with Borno.
- The number of victims varies. Amnesty International records more than 100 dead and 35 seriously injured.
The attack took place in the heart of the uprising
Nigeria’s air force said it pursued and killed Boko Haram militants in the Jilli region of Borno state, but did not mention the market strike in a statement to Reuters on Sunday and did not respond to further requests for comment.
The attack took place in a village in Yoba on the border with Borno, at the heart of a long-running insurgency that has already claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions of residents. According to local officials, the injured were taken to nearby hospitals after the attack.
“It is a very devastating incident at the Jilli market. At the time I am speaking to you, more than 200 people have lost their lives in the airstrike on the market,” Lawan Zanna Nur Geidam, chief of Fuchimeram district in Yoba’s Geidam district, told Reuters in a telephone interview.
Different numbers of victims
Three other residents also confirmed the attack and the probable number of victims. The Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said it had received preliminary reports of the incident at the Jilli market which, according to available information, “claimed casualties among traders” and activated emergency services.
The AFP agency said that the figures on the number of victims differed according to different sources. Amnesty International (AI) said on the X network that it registered “more than 100 dead” and 35 seriously injured people.
