Nigeria: Military Airstrike on Crowded Market Kills at Least 100 Civilians, Amnesty International Reports

Abuja — At least 100 civilians were killed when a Nigerian military airstrike struck a busy market in the country’s volatile northwest region, Amnesty International has reported, in what the human rights organisation is calling a catastrophic and potentially unlawful attack on a civilian gathering.
The Nigerian military confirmed that an airstrike had been carried out in the area but strongly rejected the casualty figures, insisting that the operation targeted armed criminal elements and bandits — not civilians.
Amnesty International, which gathered testimony from survivors and local sources, says the victims included women, children and ordinary traders who had gathered at the market during peak hours. The organisation has called for an immediate, independent and transparent investigation into the incident.
The strike marks one of the deadliest reported incidents of civilian casualties in Nigeria’s ongoing military campaign against armed bandits and insurgent groups operating across the northwest. The region has long been plagued by mass kidnappings, village raids and deadly clashes between security forces and criminal gangs.
Human rights groups warn that the Nigerian military’s use of airstrikes in densely populated civilian areas risks violating international humanitarian law, which strictly prohibits indiscriminate attacks that cause disproportionate civilian harm.
The United Nations and several international governments have yet to officially comment, but pressure is mounting for accountability and a full accounting of what took place on the ground.