At least 20 vigilantes have been mistakenly killed by a Nigerian military fighter jet during an operation targeting bandits in Zamfara State.
The tragic event occurred in Garin Mani, a village in the Maru Local Government Area, following an earlier attack that claimed the lives of several residents and saw over 50, mostly farmers, abducted from their fields.
Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants arrived on motorcycles around noon, firing indiscriminately and causing widespread panic.
In response, local vigilante groups mobilized and pursued the fleeing attackers.
However, a military aircraft deployed to the scene tragically misidentified the vigilantes as bandits and launched airstrikes against them.
“We were pursuing the bandits when we saw the fighter jet approaching,” one vigilante told BBC Hausa. “It flew very low and started bombing us. Some of us survived by pretending we had been hit. When the jet left, we got up and fled to safety.”
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed the incident and expressed disappointment over the military’s silence.
“We understand it was an unfortunate mistake, but the military should acknowledge what happened and reach out to the victims’ families,” he stated.
He also appealed to the government for additional troops, as the bandits had threatened to return.
This is not an isolated incident. In January, an airstrike mistakenly killed 16 people, including vigilantes, in Tungar Kara, also in Zamfara.
Similarly, in December of last year, 10 residents of Gidan Bisa in Sokoto State were killed in a misdirected airstrike.
As of the time of this report, the Nigerian military has not yet issued an official statement on the latest incident.
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