**
In a devastating turn of events, a Nigerian airstrike targeting a market in the north-eastern region of the country has left as many as 200 people dead, predominantly civilians. The military has described the attack as a ‘precision airstrike’, claiming it aimed to eliminate members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), yet survivors and local officials are questioning the rationale behind such a lethal operation in a densely populated area.
Civilian Casualties in Focus
The bombing occurred at Jilli market, strategically located on the border of Borno and Yobe states, on Saturday. Eyewitness accounts and local officials paint a grim picture of the aftermath; while the military asserted that the target was a known terrorist enclave, many of those caught in the chaos were ordinary traders and shoppers. Local councillor Lawan Zanna Nur Geidam reported that over 200 lives were lost in the attack, while Amnesty International estimated the death toll at above 100, with numbers expected to rise as the search for victims continues.
Residents and survivors have expressed disbelief over the military’s claims. Mala Garba, a 42-year-old trader recovering from injuries in a Maiduguri hospital, stated, “I don’t know if there were jihadists at the market. We are just ordinary people.” This sentiment is echoed by others who were present during the strike, highlighting the tragic miscalculation of targeting a bustling market filled with civilians.
Military’s Justification and Criticism
In a statement published on social media platform X, military spokesperson Sani Uba defended the operation, declaring it a successful strike that resulted in the destruction of a terrorist logistics hub. “Post-strike assessment confirmed that the target area was struck with high accuracy,” he asserted, suggesting that the military acted on sustained intelligence.
However, local authorities and observers have cast doubt on this narrative. Brigadier General Dahiru Abdulsalam, an adviser to the Yobe state government, later acknowledged that civilians had indeed been affected, further complicating the military’s justification. Malik Samuel, a researcher with Good Governance Africa, pointed out the inherent difficulty in distinguishing between combatants and civilians in such a setting, questioning whether alternative tactics could have been employed to mitigate civilian casualties.
A Pattern of Civilian Deaths
This incident is not isolated; Nigeria’s military has a troubling history of civilian casualties during operations against insurgents. Since 2017, airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of at least 500 civilians, with notable incidents including the bombing of a displaced persons camp in Borno that killed 115 individuals. Critics argue that the absence of accountability fosters a culture of impunity within the military, emboldening further actions that
