ON November 20, 2024, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) launched an airstrike that resulted in civilian casualties and left many injured in Shawu village, Ruwan Godiya district, Faskari Local Government of Katsina State. The narrative advanced by the state government was that the airstrike ‘precisely’ targeted and eliminated terrorists in the community. This investigation by The ICIR, however, reveals that while the NAF denied any civilian casualties, the victims of the military action were civilians, including women and young children.

The early dawn light enveloped Shawu village, as villagers prepared to head to their farmlands. The air buzzed with the chirping of birds and the quiet footsteps of residents returning from the mosque after early morning prayer.

But, the serenity was abruptly shattered when three aircraft appeared in the sky, hovering ominously. Moments later, they unleashed bombs, followed by a relentless spray of bullets that thrust the community into a state of destruction and sent residents scampering for safety, villagers who spoke with The ICIR noted.

On that tragic morning, Isah and his heavily pregnant wife, Hafsat had barely woken up when they were jolted by the wailing of residents. “I thought it was bandits as usual,” Isah said, his voice trembling. “But when I saw the aircraft, I knew it was something else.”

Amid the carnage, Hafsat was hit by three bullets. One tore through her leg, another pierced through her belly, destroying her seven months pregnancy even as a third bullet lodged in her chest, slicing through her armpit.

Isah said he knelt on the dusty ground, his hands trembling as he lifted his wife’s bullet-ridden body from the ground while he made frantic efforts to save her.

Isah eventually took her to the community hospital, but he was told that her injuries were beyond what the facility could handle. She was referred to another hospital in Funtua, a nearby area, where doctors closed her exposed intestines and later transferred her to Katsina, the state’s capital.

“She fought for her life because the pain was unbearable,” Isah recalled, adding, “She doesn’t deserve this because she is an obedient and kind-hearted woman who always stood by me and cared for our children.”

The couple buried their unborn child at the Federal Medical Centre in Katsina. Isah, now with five children to care for, has spent over N500,000 on medical bills, a sum that wiped out the family’s savings and harvest meant for the next farming season.

“We are farmers. That’s all we know. But now, we have nothing left,” he said while expressing bitterness towards the government, which he believes has abandoned them. “They keep lying, saying they killed terrorists. But they shot my wife and others who were innocent. Why can’t they come to the hospitals and see the truth?”

In a statement released after the incident, the Katsina State Government expressed their excitement over the operation and described it as a “highly successful airstrike operation that decisively targeted a known bandit enclave.”

The statement also claimed that the operation orchestrated by NAF’s “FARAUTAR MUJIYA” was precise and significantly degraded criminal elements’ operational capacity in the region.

Before conducting this investigation, The ICIR contacted NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), Olusola Akinboyewa and he also stated that the “airstrike was on target and executed based on extensive surveillance.” However, when we probed further, we found out that the claim was an outright falsehood.

The ICIR visited the community and gathered, through interviews with dozens of residents, that the terrorists had evacuated the community before the operation. Residents said it was as if they knew the attack was going to happen.

Findings showed that contrary to the falsehood spread by the state government and NAF, the main casualties of this airstrike were unarmed residents including children and women. Residents confirmed that five locals died from the airstrike while 19 others sustained injuries.

The villagers identified the five civilian victims who died as Abasyya Gambo, Maryam Mukhtar, Hadiza Alhassan, Rafia Audu and Amina Kurma.

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 put an end to their operations.

For over a decade, bandits have terrorised many states in northwestern Nigeria sacking villages, sexually assaulting women, imposing levies on communities, killing locals, and running a multi-million-dollar kidnap-for-ransom enterprise to sustain their operations.

Since their activities escalated in 2010, more than 13,000 people have been killed. The crisis has also displaced over 600,000 people across Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina where the airstrike occurred.

The state alone recorded over 300 armed attacks in 2024 resulting in more than 1,000 deaths which is higher than what was recorded in previous years according to the data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) Project.

The terrorists who operate from different camps, wield considerable influence in some rural areas, and even run parallel governments, forcing helpless locals to live at the mercy of their harsh laws.

However, in an attempt to eliminate the problem, the Nigerian Armed Forces including NAF, charged with the mandate of protecting citizens have killed countless innocent people and devised misleading press statements and social media narratives to cover up these operational errors.

Trails of blood and destruction

Umar Saheed suffered the most devastating tragedy of his life from the airstrike. His 8-year-old granddaughter, Maryam Mukhtar, died instantly after she was shot from the air. But that was only the beginning of his sorrow.

Soon after, Umar’s daughter, Abassya who gave birth to Maryam also passed away in the evening after frantic efforts to save her proved abortive. This tragedy left him to grapple with the heavy weight of two profound losses.

“Maryam was a cheerful girl, full of energy — always running all over the place,” Umar recalled, his voice breaking. “She was so young, just eight years old. After she died, her mother, who was kind and loving, passed away too.”

The attack also left his other relatives who he named Zulai, Suwaiba, Umma, and Halima injured.

“We just woke up to see a plane, and then everything changed,” Umar recalled. “We lost our homes, and our loved ones, and many were injured. Since then, life has become unbearable.”

The road to recovery remains agonisingly slow for Umar.  In the weeks following the airstrike, he found himself engulfed in unbearable grief, often sitting alone under the tree staring at the sky. Some nights, he would cry until his body ached, pleading with God for relief from the weight of his losses.

Seated on the mat in front of her new settlement, Aisha Buhari’s face bore the marks of sorrow and dashed hope as she cradled her child in her arms. She recounted the tragedy, still fresh in her memory, as though it had happened only moments ago.

She remembered that the plane appeared from the east when she and others were still inside their homes, preparing to start the day. As it drew closer, fear gripped the villagers, and they began praying. Moments later, the shooting began from the air and the community was engulfed by sand and dust.

“We ran out of our house as it crumbled. Our belongings were all gone. We couldn’t even save anything,” Aisha recalled as she held her child close. Her hand was hit by a bullet while her child was also hit. Apart from the injuries they suffered from the attack, she is now displaced and homeless.

Hadiza Dini had a similar ordeal. She and her daughter were hit in their legs during the explosion. She recalled being at home moving around the room when the earth-shattering roar of the aircraft emerged.

With her child clutched to her arms, she barely had time to react. The plane had come out of nowhere, and within seconds, it was hovering dangerously close, dropping bombs that would change everything. “It was as if time stood still. We saw the plane coming from the east, and then it released the bomb. The force knocked us all back. My body went cold, weak… I didn’t even realise my child was hit until later.”

“I didn’t know what to do. The plane was so close. Then, the dust and sand rose up, covering everything. I was holding my child, and we just ran to hide behind the trees, hoping we wouldn’t be seen.”

Nigerian military’s disinformation strategy

Civilian deaths from military airstrikes in Nigeria’s conflict zones have become a tragic pattern. Under the guise of targeting armed groups operating in ungoverned areas, countless Nigerians seeking safety from violence have instead fallen victims to the very forces meant to protect them.

This is a blatant violation of international humanitarian laws. The Geneva Convention, for instance, emphasises the need to safeguard civilians during armed conflicts. Article III of the convention explicitly states the protection of “persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely.”

Human Rights Watch (HRW), a prominent international rights organisation called out the Nigerian military for these blunders, urging it to accept responsibility and compensate the victims.

“The military must provide full accountability for its actions, as well as adequate compensation and support to meet the needs of affected families,” said Anietie Ewang, HRW’s Africa researcher.

SBM Intelligence, a Nigerian research organisation that focuses on crisis and conflict issues, documented an increase in erroneous airstrikes by the Nigerian air force since 2017, when an airstrike hit a displacement camp in Rann, Borno State killing over 70 people. The persistent aerial attacks over the years have left over 500 civilians dead and hundreds injured, violating international humanitarian laws designed to protect non-combatants during armed conflict.

Despite public outrage and repeated calls for justice, the authorities have shown little commitment to addressing these incidents. In October 2022, the Nigerian Air Force announced an investigation into accidental airstrikes, but no findings have been released. This lack of transparency and accountability defines the military’s response which has left victims and their families without answers or redress.

While charged with combating terrorism, the actions of the Nigerian military have fostered widespread public distrust. Instead of acknowledging errors, they often employ disinformation to control the narrative. Through official communication channels, they disseminate misleading accounts that obscure their mistakes.

This disinformation campaign systematically conceals atrocities committed during counterterrorism operations, thwarting efforts to secure justice for affected communities. Women, children, and unarmed civilians have borne the brunt of these abuses, with many villages rendered desolate in the aftermath.

In several cases, the military fabricates victories over terrorists to mask egregious human rights violations. This calculated misinformation undermines public trust and obstructs critical efforts to reform military operations and minimise civilian harm.

The ICIR contacted the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nazir Mua’zu, who had signed the state’s government press release. However, after hearing the questions posed by this reporter, he denied owning the contact, ended the call, and blocked the reporter.

Despite this, the reporter verified through Open Source Intelligence that he is, in fact, the owner of the contact.

When contacted, the director of Media to the state governor,  Maiwada Dan Malam replied by saying the press release was “self-explanatory and there was nothing more to add.”

However, when asked how the state government concluded that the casualties were terrorists, he responded by saying that they stood by the information given to them by the official source (Nigerian Air Force) and that they were not in a position to do an independent investigation regarding the incident.

“NAF is a government agency, and I should be responsible enough to accept what they dished out as official information. This case was resolved about a month ago. I stand by the position of the Kaduna State Government and Nigerian Airforce,” he concluded and ended the call.

The NAF’s spokesperson, Akinboyewa who earlier claimed that the airstrike was on target and no casualties also kept mum after he was confronted with the findings.

“Specific details of military surveillance techniques and procedures are classified, for operational and security reasons. Thank you, and God Bless,” he responded.

Speaking with The ICIR, a community activist and resident of Faskari Local Government Area in Katsina State, Ahmad Yantuwaru expressed outrage over the airstrike, which he described as a tragic error that claimed the lives of innocent civilians.

He argued that the inability to distinguish between bandits and innocent civilians reflects incompetence in the government’s response to insecurity. Yantuwaru lamented that residents of affected areas face dire living conditions, with many struggling to afford one square meal a day due to displacement and extortion by bandits.

“They have to pay money before they can work on their farms, harvest their crops, or even stay in their villages. These bandits will attack them, take their money, and violate their families. This is what is happening,” he added.

Yantuwaru noted that bandits had controlled the area but fled shortly before the airstrike, suggesting prior knowledge of the attack. “The most painful thing is that the bandits were seen walking around with their cattle, and a day before the incident, they disappeared. This shows they knew what was going to happen,” he said.

He emphasised the need for a strategic approach to tackling insecurity, including temporarily evacuating residents from conflict-prone areas and deploying security personnel to eliminate bandit hideouts systematically.

“My appeal to the government is that they need to redouble their efforts. They should evacuate people from these areas for one month, deploy security forces, and reclaim the areas. I am sure this will tackle the problem,” he suggested.

He criticised the use of airstrikes, stressing the need for precision to avoid harming civilians. “Those in charge of helicopters should be able to identify bandits from innocent civilians. The airstrikes should target bandits, not locals,” he urged.

Yantuwaru urged the government to learn from its weaknesses and implement measures that ensure the safety of citizens, particularly in rural areas.

“We are not trying to tarnish the government’s image, but we want them to address these weaknesses so that Katsina State and Nigeria in general can overcome insecurity,” he said.

Medical records confirm multiple casualties

Speaking with The ICIR, the officer in charge of the Ruwan Godiya Medical Centre, Shehu Dahiru narrated the challenges of providing medical care amid scarce resources in the wake of the attack.

Dahiru noted that the general security situation in the area had improved compared to the past and described the November 20 incident as unprecedented and devastating.

He highlighted the medical centre’s role as the first point of call for injured victims in the community, especially during emergencies like the airstrike. He admitted that coping with the aftermath of such incidents was overwhelming. “I always try to do what I can do,” he said.

Recalling the November 20 airstrike, Dahiru explained that the medical centre received multiple victims, many of whom required urgent care.

“We had like 16 victims, and we tried to manage the cases we could. But for others, we had to refer them elsewhere. Some were already dead by the time we attended to them,” he confirmed.

He expressed shock over the airstrike, which he said was unexpected in the area. “As a resident of this state, we’ve not experienced something like this. There were bombs and shells. We were even surprised this thing happened, and nobody talked about it. The councillors and all these politicians didn’t say anything. And I’m sure they’ve been noticing the problem,” he added.

Dahiru pointed out that the financial burden of treating the victims fell on the victims’ families and, in some cases, on the hospital. “It’s from their pocket. We paid from our pocket too,” he said.

He called on the government to take swift and decisive action to address the issue and provide support for the victims and their families. “The government needs to take action on this issue. Because if not, there is a possibility of this incident happening again. People are shot, and nobody talks about it. Nobody even shows concern for the families,” he lamented.

Dahiru urged authorities to assist the injured victims and the families of those who lost their lives.

Left to suffer

“The community has received no help from the government,” said the chief Imam of the community, Lawal Magaji. “Despite knowing about the attack, no news, no compensation or condolences,” he lamented.

“The chief of our district is the only one who helped, offering prayers and urging us to be patient, reminding us that it was God’s will.”

He and other victims who spoke to The ICIR in the community said that they had to bear the cost of the tragedy alone. Apart from the lie told by the state government to the media, there was no commiseration from the government to the bereaved families and the residents who were hit by the airstrike had to deal with the consequences alone.

Lawal recalled that it was just after they had returned from the mosque after morning prayer when they first heard one of the children shout about an aeroplane approaching. Initially, they thought nothing of it. But as the plane got closer, they could see it from the horizon, heading toward them, and soon it dropped a bomb.

He rushed out of his house as it began to crumble and led his group to the safety of the nearby bush. “I told them to stay low, not to raise their heads because they might see us,” he recalled.

Unfortunately, one of the injured people in the group lifted his head and stepped on a piece of wood, which made them a target. The plane returned and began shooting at them, injuring several people, including Lawal’s son, who was shot in the hand.

The plane circled the area, but they were fortunate to have escaped detection. When it eventually left, Lawal realised how miraculous their survival had been. “It was God who protected us,” he said.

Before the incident, Lawal noticed that the terrorists who used to bother them with their cattle and destroy their crops had miraculously disappeared.  “We thought it was a sign of relief, but what we saw next was this airstrike that destroyed our community.”

Now, with their homes destroyed and no food to survive on, Lawal and his community are left to cope as best as they can. “We are crawling to survive,” he said. “Our beds, our cooking utensils, everything is buried under the debris. We couldn’t even dig them out.”

A resident, Karima Haruna, still felt the echoes of that fateful morning. She and her family were inside their room when the sound of an approaching aeroplane broke the silence.

“People rushed out into the open trying to escape being shot. Immediately, I just entered the room to carry my daughter but at that moment they had already begun to bombard the village, and the town was already covered with smoke.  I joined the rest to run. When we went out, I saw one Suwaiba (a fellow resident) lying helplessly in a pool of blood.

A piece of flying debris hit Karima as she ran for her life. The sound of helicopters overhead added to the terror, and as the bombs continued to fall, Karima and the others sought refuge under a tree, lying down to shield themselves from the carnage. In the chaos, Karima felt a searing pain—she had been shot in the knee and shoulder.

Despite their suffering, no support has come from the government. “We have nothing,” Karima said. “No state, local, or federal official has come to help us. Only the town’s traditional ruler visited us to offer his condolences. But from the government? Nothing.”

The ICIR met Isah at Ruwan Godiya Hospital where a healthcare worker was helping him to dress his wounds. The 70-year-old was shot in the leg during the airstrike and his wounds failed to heal.

Isah and others have received no help from the government. He criticised the government’s actions, saying they should have done more to assist the villagers instead of only claiming to have killed terrorists. “We need help, but the government is silent,” he said.

His wife, Aminat, said all their savings had gone while trying to take care of her husband since he was admitted after the incident. She added that she had not been able to sleep comfortably at night since the tragedy occurred as her husband suffered excruciating pain at night.

She expressed sadness over how the government acted as if nothing happened and allowed the residents to bear the loss alone without any support.