Airstrikes and Innocents: How Nigeria’s Fight Against Bandits Keeps Hitting the Wrong Targets

In the villages of northwest Nigeria, the fight against armed bandits is leaving civilians trapped between two deadly forces. A recent military airstrike in Zamfara State killed at least 20 people, local residents said, many of them members of community vigilante groups who were pursuing bandits after a raid on livestock and abductions (Al Jazeera, 2025). The Nigerian Air Force said the strike was carried out in response to intelligence about an imminent bandit attack, but investigations are ongoing to verify civilian casualties (Al Jazeera, 2025).

The incident is far from isolated. In January 2025, another airstrike in Maradun Local Government Area reportedly killed 16 civilians from a local self‑defence group, though the military initially denied credible evidence of civilian deaths (The Guardian, 2025). Later reports acknowledged that at least 11 vigilantes were mistakenly killed, with promises of compensation and community support (Truth Nigeria, 2025).

Experts highlight a troubling pattern: misidentification of targets, inadequate real-time verification, and poor coordination between air and ground forces. Security analyst Dr. Ibrahim Bello told AFP that “the issue is not lack of intelligence but insufficient synergy and weak communication channels between the military and local vigilante groups” (Daily Justice NG, 2025). Amnesty International condemned the latest airstrike, calling it “absolutely unlawful” and warning that continued civilian deaths represent a clear human rights violation (Times Live, 2025).

For residents of Zamfara, the cost is personal and immediate. Buhari Dangulbi, a local farmer, said, “Dozens of our people and several cows were taken by bandits, and those who went to retrieve them were attacked by a fighter jet” (Al Jazeera, 2025). Ishiye Kabiru, a community youth leader, described the horror of seeing neighbors struck from above: “Our vigilantes went after the bandits, only to be misidentified and bombed” (Al Jazeera, 2025).

Clearnewsecho has gathered that between November 2024 and April 2025, more than 252 attacks were recorded across northwest Nigeria, leaving over 200 civilians dead (Vanguard NG, 2025). The Nigerian Air Force insists that airstrikes remain essential to countering the growing insurgent threat, yet the repeated misfires have intensified local fear rather than providing protection (Vanguard NG, 2025). Families in makeshift camps watch the skies with dread, uncertain whether the very forces meant to protect them will strike next.

As one youth leader said, “We called the security forces when the bandits stole our cattle and abducted our people. We thought help was coming. Instead, we watched the sky and ran for our lives” (Al Jazeera, 2025). 

The repeated pattern of civilian casualties highlights the urgent need for clearer rules of engagement, better coordination, and accountability from the military, lest the conflict continue to claim innocent lives while the perpetrators go unchecked.