The United Nations human rights chief has called for independent investigations into reports that separate air attacks by Nigerian and Chadian forces in northern Nigeria killed more than 100 civilians.
UN High Commissioner Expresses Shock
“I am shocked by reports that Nigerian army airstrikes on a market in Zamfara State killed at least 100 civilians on May 10 and injured many more,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk stated yesterday.
Turk also said he was “alarmed and saddened” by reports of high civilian casualties in attacks since Friday by Chadian jets against Boko Haram camps on remote islands in the vast marshland shared by Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
Military Denies Civilian Casualties
The Nigerian military said there was no “credible” or “substantiated” evidence of civilian casualties following an air strike on Tumfa market in Zurmi. According to AFP, at least 72 people were killed in the wake of Sunday’s missile launch.
Defence Headquarters Spokesman Major-General Michael Onoja stated: “No credible, substantiated evidence of civilian casualties has been established through any official assessment or independent verification.” He claimed the strike was conducted under international humanitarian law and targeted a “confirmed high-level gathering” based on intelligence sources in a village where “several terrorists were neutralised”.
Senator Calls for Investigation
Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, called for a full investigation into the airstrike on Tumfa Market in Zurmi, where at least 72 people were reportedly killed. In a condolence message, Yar’Adua described the incident as a “national tragedy that must not be ignored or repeated,” extending sympathies to the government and people of Zamfara, as well as bereaved families.
Taking a firmer tone, the senator stressed that while the fight against banditry and terrorism remains critical, it must never come at the cost of civilian lives. He warned that repeated incidents involving non-combatant casualties risk undermining public trust in security operations.
Amnesty International Reports
According to Amnesty International, the Nigerian military and the “bandit” gangs killed at least 100 civilians on Sunday in one of the bloodiest days in the state’s conflict against armed groups. Citing witnesses, Amnesty said many of those killed were women and children, and urged authorities to immediately investigate the attack on a crowded market in Tumfa village.
Chadian Air Strikes
The bombardment by Chadian jets has reportedly killed dozens of Nigerian fishermen working on islands under Boko Haram control, where civilians are forced to pay taxes to the armed group. Footage verified by the AFP news agency showed several fishermen with severe burns being treated at a hospital in Bosso, Niger.
UN Calls for Compliance with International Law
“It is crucial that both Nigerian and Chadian authorities conduct prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations into these disturbing incidents,” Turk said, adding that both militaries must “take all feasible precautions to avoid harm to civilians”.
“Their military operations, including against Boko Haram and the so-called ‘Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)’ must be conducted in full compliance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” he said. “Civilians and civilian objects must never be the target of attack.”
NHRC Expresses Concern
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) expressed deep concern over recurrent incidents of military airstrikes reportedly resulting in significant civilian casualties across different parts of the country. NHRC described the development as deeply troubling and incompatible with established human rights and humanitarian law standards.
In a statement yesterday, NHRC Executive Secretary Dr Tony Ojukwu (SAN) stated that while the fight against insurgency, banditry and other forms of insecurity remains a legitimate responsibility of the Nigerian state, such operations must at all times be conducted in strict compliance with the Constitution, international human rights obligations, and principles of international humanitarian law.
AFP, citing a community leader, said some victims’ bodies were “blown beyond recognition”. Some residents, who insisted that while no one had ascertained the number of those killed or injured during the air strike, said the casualties included both terrorists and civilian residents.
