At least 16 civilians have been killed in a military airstrike in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state, apparently due to a mistaken attack on a criminal gang.

Residents told local media that the victims were members of local vigilante groups and civilians protecting themselves from armed gangs notorious for kidnapping for ransom.

The attack targeted armed gangs in Zulmi and Maradun districts, and state governor Dada Lawal expressed his condolences to the community.

The military acknowledged carrying out the airstrikes, which it said “dealt a decisive blow to bandits in villages in the area.”

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said it was investigating “reports of vigilante losses”.

“While the operation succeeded in neutralizing several bandits and rescuing a number of kidnapping victims, the country’s armed forces are seriously concerned by reports of civilian deaths during the operation,” the statement said.

The statement said a “comprehensive investigation” was underway to establish the true nature of the matter and “a briefing will be provided to inform and reassure the public.”

AFP quoted locals as saying civilians were returning to their villages after driving off bandits when they were bombed.

Sa’idu Ibrahim said villagers “recovered 16 bodies during the attack and sent several others to hospital with serious injuries.”

Rights group Amnesty International Nigeria put the death toll at 20 and said dozens of people were injured in the attack in Tongakala village, calling on authorities to investigate the incident “immediately and impartially”.

“Launching airstrikes is not a legitimate method of law enforcement by anyone’s standards. This reckless use of deadly force is unlawful, outrageous and exposes the Nigerian military’s incompetence on the lives of those it is supposed to protect.” Shocking disregard,” it said in a statement. .

In recent years, Nigeria’s security forces have been battling powerful criminal gangs known as bandits that have been terrorizing northwestern and central states. Bandits raided villages, burned houses, killed and kidnapped residents for ransom.

There have been several accidental air strikes in recent months, including one on Christmas Day that killed at least 10 civilians in neighboring Sokoto state.

In 2023, at least 85 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed when they were mistaken for bandits while attending a Muslim religious gathering in a village in Kaduna state.

In January 2017, a jet struck a camp housing 40,000 people displaced by jihadist violence in a town near the Cameroon border, killing at least 112 people.