Military Airstrike Mistakenly Kills 20 Vigilantes in Zamfara — Over 50 Abducted
Daily Episode gathered from Daily Trust that at least 20 vigilantes were mistakenly killed by a Nigerian military fighter jet during an operation targeting bandits in Garin Mani, Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The airstrike followed an earlier attack by bandits who arrived on motorcycles around noon, opened fire on residents, and abducted over 50 people—mostly farmers working in their fields.
Local vigilantes mobilised and chased after the attackers but were mistakenly targeted by a military aircraft, which allegedly misidentified them as bandits and bombed their location.
An eyewitness told BBC Hausa, “We were pursuing the bandits when we saw the fighter jet approaching. It flew very low and started bombing us. Some of us survived by pretending we had been hit.”
Another resident, speaking anonymously, confirmed the incident and criticised the lack of military communication, urging the government to support the affected families and bolster security as bandits had threatened to return.
This incident follows previous mistaken airstrikes in the region, including one in January that killed 16 people in Tungar Kara, and another in December that left 10 residents dead in Gidan Bisa, Sokoto State.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian military has yet to release an official statement.
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