Mon Jun 02 17:53:03 UTC 2025: **NEWS ARTICLE:**
**Amnesty International Demands Probe After Nigerian Airstrike Kills Civilians in Zamfara State**
**Zamfara State, Nigeria** – A Nigerian military airstrike in Zamfara state has left at least 20 people dead, sparking outrage and calls for a thorough investigation from Amnesty International. The incident occurred over the weekend, targeting what the military claims was a gathering of bandits preparing to attack local settlements.
According to Nigerian Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the airstrike was based on intelligence indicating a large group of terrorists were planning an imminent attack and had already killed farmers and abducted civilians. He added that two local vigilantes were killed and two others injured in what he described as crossfire.
However, residents paint a different picture. They claim that a group of vigilantes, formed to pursue bandits who had raided the villages of Mani and Wabi, stealing cattle and kidnapping residents, were mistakenly bombed by the military jet.
“We were hit by double tragedy on Saturday,” said Buhari Dangulbi, a local resident, explaining that bandits had attacked earlier, taking livestock and abducting people. “Those who trailed the bandits to rescue them were attacked by a fighter jet. It killed 20 of them.”
Abdullahi Ali, a Mani resident and member of the local hunters’ militia, echoed this, stating, “The military aircraft arrived and started firing, killing at least 20 of our people.”
Amnesty International has strongly condemned the incident, calling for a full and transparent investigation. “Attacks by bandits clearly warrant a response from the state, but to launch reckless air strikes into villages – again and again – is absolutely unlawful,” the organization stated.
This incident is not isolated. The Nigerian military has previously acknowledged mistakenly hitting civilians during operations targeting armed gangs. Similar incidents in recent years include the deaths of at least 16 vigilantes in Zamfara’s Zurmi district in January, the killing of over 100 civilians in Mutunji village in December 2022, and an attack on a religious gathering in Kaduna state in 2023 that claimed at least 85 lives. The string of errant bombings raise serious questions about the military’s rules of engagement and the safety of civilians in conflict zones.
First Piper 