Zamfara Air Strike: Death Toll Feared Above 100 as Military Denies Civilians Were Killed

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May 12, 2026 #Amnesty International Nigeria, #civilian casualties Nigeria, #Nigerian Air Force, #Nigerian military air strike, #Tumfa market bombing, #Zamfara air strike, #Zamfara market attack, #Zurmi LGA

Air Force Alpha jets bomb Boko Haram hideout 100km from Monguno

Nigerian Air Force Alpha jets

Malik Yahya/

No fewer than 72 people were reportedly killed after a Nigerian military air strike struck Tumfa market in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Amnesty International claimed the death toll may have exceeded 100.

The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday at the weekly market, which witnesses said was crowded with traders and residents at the time of the strike.

According to AFP, a community leader, Garba Ibrahim Mashema, said some victims’ bodies were “blown beyond recognition”, adding that the exact number of casualties remained unclear because both civilians and suspected bandits regularly visit the market.

A resident of nearby Zurmi town, Aliyu Musa, told AFP that many of those killed were young girls selling food items, including millet porridge and tofu. He claimed the death toll could be as high as 117.

Rights group, Amnesty International, said dozens of injured victims were receiving treatment in hospitals in Zurmi, Shinkafi and Gusau.

The organisation alleged that one affected community buried about 80 people in a mass burial following the strike.

In a statement shared on social media, Amnesty International condemned the attack and called for an independent investigation.

“The authorities must investigate these deadly strikes, and put an end to reckless attacks on civilians,” the organisation said.

The Nigerian military, however, denied reports that civilians were killed in the operation.

Defence Headquarters spokesman, Major General Michael Onoja, told AFP that reports of civilian casualties in Zamfara were “not true”.

According to AFP, the military said the operation targeted “terrorist leaders and commanders from across the West African sub-region”.

The latest incident has renewed scrutiny of Nigerian military air operations in conflict-hit northern states, where previous strikes have also resulted in civilian casualties.

Reuters reported that the Tumfa strike came barely a month after another air strike on a market in Jilli, near the Yobe and Borno border, reportedly killed dozens of civilians during an operation targeting jihadists.

Human rights organisations and security analysts have repeatedly raised concerns about intelligence failures and inadequate coordination between air and ground operations in Nigeria’s campaign against armed groups.