BAUCHI, Nigeria — At least 100 civilians were killed after a Nigerian military airstrike struck a crowded market in northwestern Zamfara State, according to Amnesty International, which has called for an immediate and independent investigation into the incident.
The strike reportedly hit the remote Tumfa market in Zurmi district on Sunday, marking the second deadly military bombing of a crowded market in northern Nigeria within a month.
Amnesty International said dozens of injured victims were receiving treatment in hospitals in Zurmi and nearby Shinkafi.
The rights group added that many of those killed were women and girls.
Witnesses cited by Amnesty said military aircraft were first seen hovering over the area around midday before returning approximately two hours later to bomb the market while it was crowded with traders and residents.
The Nigerian Armed Forces had not issued an official response by Tuesday evening. However, the military has previously maintained that its aerial operations are intelligence-led and strictly target armed groups and militant hideouts.
The latest strike comes weeks after another deadly bombing in April in Jilli, northeastern Nigeria, where about 200 civilians were reportedly killed during an airstrike targeting a weekly market.
Nigerian authorities later opened an investigation into that incident.
Residents across northern Nigeria have increasingly raised concerns over civilian casualties linked to military operations targeting armed bandits and extremist groups.
Nigeria’s military has for years battled heavily armed criminal gangs in the northwest alongside a prolonged Islamist insurgency in the northeast, largely driven by extremist factions linked to Boko Haram and its splinter groups.
Amnesty International accused authorities of failing to adequately protect civilians during military operations.
“This pattern of human rights violation is increasingly becoming the norm, with villagers at the receiving end of atrocities by both armed groups, bandits, and the military,” the organization said.
The group described the airstrikes as unlawful and said they reflected disregard for civilian life and international humanitarian standards governing armed conflict.
