SEVERAL people have been reportedly killed in an airstrike on Kakindawa village in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
According to the Punch, a resident of the community, Garba Umar, said the incident occurred on Saturday evening as local vigilantes mobilised to assist residents in Tungar Kara village, which had come under attack by bandits.
Umar explained that the vigilante group acted after receiving reports of bandits rustling livestock and attempting to abduct villagers.
“As we were heading to Tungar Kara around 3:30 pm, an aircraft suddenly appeared and dropped a bomb on the vigilantes. The bandits had already escaped into the forest,” he recounted.
According to Umar, 16 people, including his son, lost their lives in the airstrike.
“We mobilised to protect our neighbours, but tragically, the aircraft targeted us instead of the fleeing bandits. It’s heartbreaking,” Umar lamented.
When contacted, the spokesperson for Operation Hadarin Daji, Abubakar Abdullahi, a lieutenant colonel, said he was aware of the incident and would investigate further.
In November 2024, the Nigerian Air Force carried out airstrikes in Zamfara State, killing numerous bandits, including loyalists of notorious leaders, Dan-Isuhu and Dogo Sule.
More recently, on January 8, 2025, troops of Operation Hadarin Daji reportedly killed a notorious terrorist leader, Sani Rusu, and his foot soldiers during a clash in Bamamu village, Tsafe Local Government Area of the state.
Authorities have launched multiple offensives into the enclaves of armed gangs also known as bandits and introduced measures such as designating them as terrorists to enforce stiffer sanctions and eliminate them.
The terrorists, who operate from different camps, wield considerable influence in some rural areas and had run parallel governments at various times, forcing helpless locals to live at their mercy.
However, in an attempt to eliminate them, the Nigerian Armed Forces have killed countless innocent citizens in the process.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.