Six family members feared killed in NAF air strike in Katsina

A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jet reportedly killed six members of a family following an air strike targeting armed gangs in Katsina state.

Sources told TheCable that the jet dropped a bomb on a cluster of huts on Saturday, on the outskirts of Zakka village, in Safana district.

The strike followed a bandit attack on a security base that left two police officers and a vigilante dead.

Amnesty International, however, put the death toll from the incident at 10.

In a post on X on Sunday, the organisation called for an “impartial, transparent and immediate investigation” into the air strike.

“Air strikes with high numbers of unlawful killings have become the latest in a long list of gross human rights violations perpetrated by the Nigerian military,” the post reads.

“The Nigerian authorities must give clear directives to the military to always prioritise and respect human rights.”

When TheCable contacted Olusola Akinboyewa, NAF’s spokesperson, for comments on the incident, he said a statement would be issued shortly.

Nigeria has a history of military air strikes targeting terrorists but inadvertently resulting in civilian casualties.

In December 2023, Christopher Musa, chief of defence staff (CDS), vowed that air strikes would no longer record civilian deaths, noting that the duty of the military is to protect Nigerians and not kill them.

In January, more than 16 residents of a Zamfara village were killed by another “accidental air strike” from NAF.