By Habeeb Ibrahim
The Nigerian military has once again come under fire following a mistaken airstrike that killed at least 20 vigilante members in Garin Mani, Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State, marking the third such fatal error in just six months.
This latest incident occurred after armed bandits launched a midday attack on the farming community, killing several residents and abducting over 50 people. In response, local vigilantes mobilized to chase the assailants. But in a tragic twist, a military jet deployed to neutralize the bandits allegedly misidentified the vigilantes as threats and launched an airstrike on them.
“We were chasing the bandits when the jet came,” one of the survivors told BBC Hausa. “It flew low and started bombing us. Some of us survived by pretending to be dead. When the jet left, we ran.”
This is not the first time communities in Nigeria’s northwest have suffered from friendly fire. In January, 16 people, including vigilantes, were killed in Tungar Kara, also in Zamfara, in a similar miscalculated airstrike. Just weeks before that, in December 2024, another mistaken bombing claimed 10 civilian lives in Gidan Bisa, Sokoto State.
The repeated nature of these tragedies has sparked outrage and raised serious concerns about the military’s targeting protocols and coordination with local forces. “It’s painful enough to lose people to bandits. But to lose them to those meant to protect us is unbearable,” a resident said anonymously.
Community members are calling for an urgent overhaul of airstrike procedures, better intelligence gathering, and clearer communication between the military and local security outfits to avoid further disasters.
