ABUJA, Nigeria — The Nigerian military has faced significant backlash due to the accidental deaths of numerous civilians during airstrikes aimed at targeting armed groups in the conflict-prone regions of the country. These tragic incidents have primarily occurred in the Northern region, particularly in local villages where civilians were caught in the crossfire.
Most recently, on Saturday, airstrikes conducted by the Nigerian Air Force in Zamfara State, a hotspot for conflict in the northwestern area, resulted in the tragic loss of life among civilians. Reports indicate that at least 20 civilians were killed while participating in a local community security initiative, according to state government sources and eyewitness accounts.
Data compiled by SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based research organization, has revealed that since 2017, airstrikes have claimed the lives of around 400 civilians, underscoring the ongoing humanitarian crisis exacerbated by military operations. This issue has drawn considerable concern from human rights organizations and citizens, as Nigeria grapples with violent security challenges on various fronts.
Nigeria’s Defense Chief, Gen. Christopher Musa, has publicly stated that efforts are being made to enhance the military’s approach to human rights and that accountability for personnel involved in such incidents is being prioritized.
The country faces threats from multiple armed groups, including the infamous Boko Haram, an extremist faction that began its insurgency in 2009 with aims to impose a radical interpretation of Islamic law. Additionally, many of the violent factions emerging in Nigeria consist of former herdsmen engaged in generational conflicts with farming communities over land and water resources. Today, these groups, once limited to traditional weapons, now utilize guns acquired through illegal channels, contributing to thousands of deaths annually.
These armed factions are known for conducting mass killings and kidnappings for ransom, particularly in the northwestern and central regions of Nigeria. They have also taken to extorting taxes from the terrified communities, using the illicit funds to sustain their operations alongside ransom payments.
The decision to employ airstrikes is rooted in the operational methods of these armed groups, which often infest dense forest areas, planning and executing attacks on villages with scant security presence. Their tendency to frequently shift locations makes ground assaults impractical, thus leading the military to depend more on aerial attacks.
Civilians are often caught in the fallout of these airstrikes due in part to the tactics employed by the armed groups, who are known to use non-combatants as human shields during confrontations. Former President Muhammadu Buhari acknowledged this challenge, pointed out that such groups do not adhere to the established rules of engagement that regular military forces observe.
Yet, critics suggest that the high rate of civilian casualties can also be linked to flaws in intelligence gathering and insufficient coordination among ground troops, air units, and other contributors, as noted by Senator Iroegbu, a security expert based in Abuja.
In response to these tragic incidents, the Nigerian government—and the military—often pledges to investigate the circumstances surrounding airstrikes that result in civilian deaths. However, analysts have expressed skepticism, arguing that the actual outcomes of these investigations are rarely made public and do little to address the ongoing issues. In an unusual move, the military did prosecute two personnel following an airstrike in Kaduna State that tragically killed over 80 civilians in 2024, but the promised details of the investigation remain undisclosed.
Experts suggest that enhancing civilian safety in military operations could be achieved through better training for pilots and aircrew, as well as modernizing aircraft and targeting technologies. It is also crucial for the military to foster trust and cooperation with local communities, whose insight into the movements of armed groups would be vital for more accurate targeting and effective strategies against these insurgents.
