200 civilians die in Nigerian Air Force bombing of market
- Gavin Blackburn | Associated Press
- Apr 13
- 3 min read
Up to 200 civilians killed in Nigeria after air force 'misfire' on market
Associated Press
April 13, 2026
Civilian patients in hospital in Yobe state, northeast Nigeria wounded in Nigerian Air Force strike ostensibly aimed at Boko Haram terrorists. Copyright AP Photo
Such "misfires" are common in Nigeria, where the military often conducts air raids to battle armed groups who control vast forest enclaves.
A Nigerian Air Force strike targeting jihadist rebels hit a local market in the northeast, killing as many as 200 civilians, a local chief reported on Monday.
Officials confirmed a "misfire" but provided no further details.
Amnesty International cited survivors as saying that at least 100 people were killed in the air strike on Saturday on a village in Yobe state, near the border with Borno state, which is the epicentre of the insurgency that has ravaged the region for over a decade.
“We have their pictures and they include children,” Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International's Nigeria director, said, referring to the casualties.
“We are in touch with people that are there, we spoke with the hospital,” he said. “We spoke with the person in charge of casualties and we spoke with the victims.”
A worker at the Geidam General hospital in Yobe, said at least 23 people injured in the incident were receiving treatment. The worker spoke anonymously as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Patients receive treatment at a hospital in Damaturu after Air Force strikes in northeastern Nigeria, 12 April, 2026 AP Photo
Such "misfires" are common in Nigeria, where the military often conducts air raids to battle armed groups who control vast forest enclaves.
At least 500 civilians have died since 2017 in such "misfires," according to a tally of reported deaths carried out by the AP news agency.
Security analysts point to loopholes in intelligence gathering as well as insufficient coordination between ground troops, air assets and stakeholders.
The large, remote market located near the Borno-Yobe border is known to be often used by Boko Haram militants to buy food supplies.
Abdulmumin Bulama, a member of a civilian security group working with the Nigerian military in the northeast, said there was intelligence that Boko Haram terrorists had gathered very close to the market and were planning an attack on nearby communities.
“The intel was shared and the Air Force jet acted based on the credible information,” Bulama said.
The Yobe State Government confirmed in a statement that a Nigerian military strike was targeting a stronghold of the Boko Haram jihadi group in the area and that “some people…who went to the Jilli weekly market were affected.”
The Yobe State Emergency Management Agency also acknowledged that an incident had occurred resulting in “casualties affecting some marketers” and said it had dispatched response teams to the area.
Nigeria's military issued a statement saying it conducted a successful strike on a “terrorist enclave and logistics hub” belonging to terrorists in the area, killing scores of them as they rode on motorcycles.
It did not provide any detail about a possible misfire, but noted that motorcycles remain prohibited in conflict hot spots and “any such movements in restricted areas are therefore treated with the utmost seriousness.”
Patients receive treatment at a hospital in Damaturu after Air Force strikes in northeastern Nigeria, 12 April, 2026 AP Photo
Amnesty International has called for an independent investigation into the incident, adding that the military is “fond of” labelling civilian casualties as “bandits.”
Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous country, is battling a complex security crisis, especially in the north, where there is a decade-long insurgency and several armed groups that kidnap for ransom.
Among the most prominent Islamic militant groups are Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, which is affiliated with the Islamic State group and known as Islamic State West Africa Province. There is also the IS-linked Lakurawa group operating in communities in the northwestern part of the country that borders Niger Republic.
[Genocide Watch note: Fulani jihadists in Nigeria's central and northern states are the most murderous terrorist group. They have killed tens of thousands of Christians since 2009, leaving Muslim villages unharmed. Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Lakarawa kill and kidnap both Christians and Muslims. US missiles aimed at ISWAP with Nigerian government permission have only struck empty fields. There is strong evidence of complicity by Muslim Nigerian military generals with Fulani jihadists.]
Additional sources • AP, AFP
Copyright 2026 Associated Press
