Amnesty International's Nigeria office issued a statement on X condemning a military airstrike that struck a border market in the North‑east on Saturday evening. The rights group said the strike killed more than 100 people, based on witness accounts that three military jets opened fire on the market in Jalli, a community in Yobe State that borders Borno.
Premium Times reported that the Nigerian Air Force confirmed the operation but did not comment on civilian deaths. The air force described the bombing as "precision" strikes against terrorist hideouts and said it formed part of a "coordinated air‑ground integration operation" with army troops, according to spokesperson Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame.
Amnesty quoted a hospital source: "The emergency section of Geidam General Hospital had so far received 35 people with severe injuries." The group added, "launching air raids is not a legitimate law enforcement method by anyone's standard," and called the force used "unlawful, outrageous."
Local authorities have appealed for blood donations for the injured, while Amnesty urged an impartial investigation and accountability for those responsible. The air force's spokesperson did not address the civilian casualty claim, and Mr Ejodome declined to answer Premium Times' query.
Amnesty's blunt condemnation throws into sharp relief the disconnect between the air force's claim of "precision" strikes and the reported death of over 100 civilians.
The incident occurred amid a broader counter‑insurgency push in the Yobe‑Borno border area, where the military has increasingly relied on joint air‑ground operations. By targeting a market where traders were collecting levies, the operation blurred the line between combatants and civilians, a fact underscored by the three jets that reportedly fired on the site.
For market traders and their families in Jalli, the strike translates into loss of livelihood, trauma, and a strained health system coping with at least 35 severe injuries. The call for blood donations signals immediate community needs, while the lack of a clear casualty count from the air force leaves ordinary citizens without answers or reassurance.
Repeated episodes of civilian harm in the north‑east suggest a pattern where military tactics prioritize rapid neutralisation of suspected insurgents over rigorous protection of non‑combatants, eroding public confidence in security forces.
