The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and African Action Congress (AAC) denounced recent Nigerian Air Force strikes in Borno and Yobe. ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi told Peoples Gazette on Monday that the incident was "quite tragic and unfortunate" and called for a thorough probe to determine whether the bombing was accidental or deliberate. He referenced a strike that reportedly killed 200 people at Jilli market on Saturday and urged both the military hierarchy and the legislature to set up an investigative committee, specifically asking state and federal lawmakers from Borno and Yobe to lead the effort. Abdullahi added that the government's response has been insufficient and warned that civilians are increasingly forced to choose between fearing bandits or their own soldiers.
AAC spokesman Rex Elanu said that, since 2017, at least 19 accidental airstrikes have hit civilians under the All Progressives Congress administration. He cited the December 3 2023 Tudun Biri drone strike that killed over 85 civilians, a December 25 2024 strike in Silame LGA of Sokoto that killed 10‑13 people in Gidan Bisa and Rumtuwa, and a January 2025 bombing of Tungar Kara village in Zamfara that left 16‑20 dead. Elanu described the pattern as "unacceptable" while terrorist attacks continue to plague communities.
The AAC's tally of 19 accidental airstrikes since 2017 places the Nigerian military's collateral damage under the APC spotlight, suggesting a systemic failure rather than isolated mishaps.
Both parties' statements emerge amid a protracted insurgency that has stretched the armed forces across the north‑east, prompting aggressive aerial campaigns. Yet the repeated civilian casualties cited—200 at Jilli market, 85 at Tudun Biri, and multiple deaths in Sokoto and Zamfara—reveal a gap between operational objectives and on‑the‑ground safeguards, raising doubts about the effectiveness of existing rules of engagement.
For ordinary Nigerians living in affected states, the pattern translates into daily anxiety: market traders, farmers and families risk becoming unintended targets, while distrust of the military erodes confidence in state protection. Communities in Borno, Yobe, Sokoto and Zamfara may face heightened displacement and reduced economic activity as fear curtails movement and commerce.
The episode aligns with a broader trend of militarised responses that, without transparent accountability, risk normalising civilian harm as a cost of counter‑insurgency, potentially fueling further instability.
