A tragic error during a military operation in Zamfara State has resulted in the deaths of approximately 20 members of a local vigilante group, who were mistakenly targeted by a Nigerian military jet.
The incident occurred in Garin Mani, a village in the Maru Local Government Area, following a deadly attack by armed bandits. According to reports, the assailants stormed the community on motorcycles around midday, firing indiscriminately and causing chaos. Several villagers were killed, and more than 50 others—mostly farmers—were abducted while working in their fields.
In the aftermath of the attack, local vigilante groups mobilized in pursuit of the fleeing bandits. However, a military aircraft dispatched to engage the terrorists reportedly misidentified the vigilantes as hostile targets and launched an airstrike on them.
“We were chasing the bandits when we saw the jet,” one survivor told BBC Hausa. “It flew very low and started bombing us. Some of us survived by pretending to be dead. Once the jet left, we managed to escape.”
Another resident, who requested anonymity, confirmed the airstrike and expressed concern over the military’s silence. “It may have been a mistake, but the military needs to acknowledge what happened and support the affected families,” he said. He also urged the government to reinforce security in the area, noting that the bandits had issued threats to return.
This incident is part of a troubling pattern of accidental military strikes in the region. In January, an airstrike mistakenly killed 16 people, including vigilantes, in Tungar Kara, also in Zamfara. A month earlier, 10 residents of Gidan Bisa in Sokoto State lost their lives in a similar misdirected bombing.
As of the time of this report, the Nigerian military has not issued an official statement regarding the Garin Mani incident.