By Emmanuel Nduka
A deadly airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) struck the Tungar Kara community in the Gidan Goga district of Maradun Local Government Area, Zamfara State, on Saturday evening, killing at least 16 people.
The victims were members of the Zamfara Community Protection Guard (ZCPG) local vigilantes, and residents who had mobilized to defend their community following a raid by armed bandits.
Eyewitnesses reported that the attack occurred shortly after the bandits fled the area, with local defenders unknowingly caught in the crossfire. Lawmaker Maharazu Salisu Gado Faru, representing Maradun II Constituency in the Zamfara State House of Assembly, confirmed the tragedy, calling the airstrike an accident.
He explained that it targeted local defenders who were attempting to repel the bandits, although the exact number of casualties remains unverified.
The Nigerian Air Force has not yet issued a formal response to the incident as at the time of writing this report.
Earlier on Sunday, the Air Force released a statement touting the success of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, a coordinated air and ground assault against the hideout of notorious bandit leader Kachallah Bello Turji at Fakai Hills, claiming to have neutralized several bandits and freed kidnapped victims.
This tragic incident adds to a series of similar accidents during the military’s campaign against bandits and jihadists in the northwest and northeast.
In December 2023, a military airstrike mistakenly targeted a Muslim religious gathering in Kaduna state, killing at least 85 people, while a 2017 airstrike in Rann killed over 100 civilians in a camp for internally displaced persons.
