*NAF Probes Killing Of Over 100 Civilians In Attack
BORNO State Governor, Babagana Zulum, on Sunday, April 12, disclosed Jilli Market in Gubio Local Council of the state, where a Nigeria Air Force (NAF) jet carried out an airstrike that allegedly killed over 100 civilian , was closed five years ago.
This even as the NAF said it had commenced investigation into the incident.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Dauda Iliya, Zulum described Jilli Market as a notorious hub allegedly used by insurgents and their logistics suppliers.
He stated: “I have been properly briefed on the airstrike carried out by the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai on Jilli Market, a border town between Borno and Yobe states.
“Let me state categorically that the Borno State Government closed Jilli and Gazabure markets five years ago.
“I am in close consultation with the government of Yobe State and the military hierarchy on the matter.”
The governor said the state government maintains close coordination with the military and other security agencies before resettling any community or reopening markets, particularly in areas affected by insurgency, even as he expressed his administration’s commitment to safeguarding law-abiding citizens and sustaining collaborative efforts with security agencies to restore lasting peace and stability across the state.
He urged residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that will aid ongoing military operations.
The April 11 airstrike, which led to a panic among traders and residents, was carried out by the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI, in coordination with the Nigerian Army, following an earlier operation that targeted and destroyed terrorist positions in the area.
Similarly, the Nigerian military has defended the airstrike, describing the target as a terrorist enclave, insisting that the location was a legitimate military target known as a known logistics hub and convergence point for fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
In a statement on Sunday, the Media Information Officer of the Northeast Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Lt-Col. Sanni Uba, said the operation followed sustained intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions that tracked the movements of suspected terrorists, including motorcycles and gun trucks, converging on the area.
According to him: “The Air Component of Joint Task Force (Northeast) Operation HADIN KAI, in a carefully, well-coordinated, planned and intelligence-driven operation, has successfully conducted a precision air strike on a known terrorist enclave and logistics hub located near the abandoned village of Jilli in Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State.
“The successful strike, executed on 11 April, 2026, followed sustained Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions over the Bindul-Jilli axis, an area long identified as a major terrorist movement corridor and convergence point for Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists and their collaborators.”
Citing a recent attack on troops in the area, which led to the death of eight soldiers and several others wounded, Uba added: “It will be recalled that in January 2026, troops moving from Gubio towards Damasak came under a major Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack along the road at Bindul, resulting in the tragic loss of eight soldiers, while several others were wounded in action.
“More recently, 9 April 9, coordinated attacks were recorded in Ngamdu and Benisheik, supported by the same terrorist logistics network.’’
He explained that consequently, the Theatre intensified overhead surveillance and intelligence gathering across the area in response to persistent reports of terrorist movement and logistics activity, with multiple reports received on April 11 indicating that ISWAP gun trucks and motorcycles were moving along the axis.
“Consequently, ISR coverage over the area was immediately intensified. During the surveillance mission, a contingent of motorcycles was observed moving in the direction of Jilli, followed shortly by the movement of several additional vehicles, all converging on the same location.
“These suspicious movements were subsequently corroborated by credible human intelligence sources, confirming that the converging elements were terrorists, their collaborators and logistics handlers.
“It is imperative to state that, in line with established operational procedures, a rigorous and professional targeting process was undertaken.”
He stated that target fidelity was confirmed through multiple credible human intelligence sources, supported by persistent aerial surveillance, noting: “Upon final validation, the Air Component executed a series of precision strikes on the objective, while surveillance platforms maintained continuous overwatch for real-time battle damage assessment.
“Equally important to know, the post-strike assessment confirmed that the target area was struck with high accuracy, destroying the identified terrorist logistics enclave.
“Scores of terrorists were neutralised in the strike, with their vehicles and technicals destroyed, while surviving elements were observed fleeing in multiple directions.”
Uba said intelligence further indicated that the neutralised elements were in the final stages of receiving logistics from couriers for coordinated attacks on troop locations within the Gubio axis, adding: “This decisive action has therefore significantly disrupted imminent terrorist plans and degraded their operational capability within the Theatre.”
He revealled that a terrorist logistics courier, identified as “Turja Bulu,” was arrested on Sunday at Ngamdu Town and upon preliminary investigation confessed that he took part in the attack at 29 Bde location on April 9 at Benisheik and had been dispatched by ISWAP from Jilli, where most of his fellow terrorists were hibernating, to provide food items for another group of terrorists currently hibernating around the Magumeri-Gubio general area.
Uba stated that “this successful strike is yet another demonstration of the resolve and operational capability of OPHK to sustain relentless pressure on terrorist elements, disrupt their logistics networks, and deny them freedom of movement within the Theatre.”
He reiterated the command’s ban on the use of motorcycles across the Northeast operational theatre, particularly in Borno and Yobe states, due to their established and continued use by terrorist elements for movement, logistics, and attack operations, adding: “Any such movements in restricted areas are therefore treated with the utmost seriousness in line with existing operational directives.”
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said it had launched an investigation into alleged civilian casualties following an air strike on a market in Jilli, Yobe State.
NAF, in a statement on Sunday, April 12, by its spokesman, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said reports suggested the strike might have hit a local market in Jilli, raising concerns about civilian casualties.
Ejodame said the Chief of the Air Staff had ordered the immediate activation of the Civilian Harm Accident and Investigation Cell, which has been deployed to the location on a fact-finding mission into the allegations.
According to him: “The Nigerian Air Force treats all reports of possible civilian harm with the utmost seriousness and empathy.
“The protection of innocent lives remains central to all NAF operations.”
Ejodame assured that NAF remained committed to professionalism, accountability and transparency in its missions and would work with authorities and community representatives to establish the facts.
While the investigation continues, he urged the public and media to avoid speculation and allow due process, saying: “The Nigerian Air Force reassures citizens of its resolve to protect national security and civilian lives.
“Every credible concern will be addressed with diligence and seriousness.”
Defending the military, a former Army chief, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd.), described the area as a known terrorist enclave, saying although the loss of innocent lives was tragic, the operation was based on credible intelligence indicating that insurgents were using the market as a logistics base.
Buratai, in a statement issued on Sunday commended NAF and the intelligence community for what he termed their “courage and professionalism,” adding: “Any loss of innocent life is deeply unfortunate and painful.
“However, the operation was a targeted military action based on credible intelligence.”
He re-echoed that the market had for years served as a hub for terrorists affiliated with Boko Haram and the ISWAP, who allegedly used the location to collect illegal levies, procure supplies and plan attacks against communities and security forces.
He urged the public to understand the history of market, which has long been a notorious terrorist logistics hub, recalling that troops had previously raided and shut down the market during operations, including the 2018 Operation LAST HOLD, where soldiers engaged insurgents in the area.
He lamented that despite repeated crackdowns, the terrorists continued to operate the market, allegedly with the cooperation of some civilians, saying: “It is deeply regrettable that innocent lives may have been caught in the strike, but the responsibility rests with the terrorists, who deliberately embed themselves within civilian populations.”
Buratai stated that no military intends to harm civilians, but must act when threats persist over time; hence he appealed to residents of Geidam, Gubio, Damasak and Ngamdu to support security agencies by avoiding markets infiltrated by insurgents, warning that “communities that continue to trade with such elements may inevitably find themselves in harm’s way.”
The former Army chief stated that sustained military action, backed by civilian cooperation, remained key to ending insurgency in the Northeast.
The councillor of Fichiram Ward, Lawan Zannah, put the number of casualties around 200, saying: “The incident affected many people in the area, and from the information available to us, the number of those who lost their lives is very high.
“I personally verified the figures, and they show that about 200 people have died as a result of the incident.
“At the moment, only 23 victims are receiving treatment within Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State, as there are no available vehicles to transport many of the injured to hospitals.
“The situation is very critical because several victims still need urgent medical attention, but the lack of transportation is making it difficult to move them to appropriate medical facilities.”
Three other residents and an official from an international humanitarian agency confirmed the strike and the estimated death toll.
The Yobe State Emergency Management Agency said it had received preliminary reports of an incident at Jilli Market “which reportedly resulted in casualties affecting some marketers” and activated emergency response.
A 43-year-old resident, Ahmed Ali, who sells medical consumables at the market, said he had been injured in a blast.
Amnesty International (AI) said it confirmed from survivors that at least 100 people had been killed in the airstrike.
Its Director in Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, said: “We are in touch with people that are there; we spoke with the hospital. We spoke with the person in charge of casualties and we spoke with the victims.”
AI condemned the strike, describing it as “reckless” and calling for an immediate and impartial investigation, alleging that over 100 people may have been killed, citing witness accounts that military jets bombed the busy market.
“Launching air raids is not a legitimate law enforcement method by anyone’s standard. Such reckless use of deadly force is unlawful, outrageous and lays bare the Nigerian military’s shocking disregard for the lives of those it supposedly exists to protect.
“The Nigerian authorities must immediately and impartially investigate the incident and ensure that suspected perpetrators are held to account,” it stated.
Sources said the miltary jet involved was tracking a group of suspected insurgents believed to have visited the market to collect levies from traders and obtain supplies, but missed its intended target.
However, the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency, in a statement, said civilians, including traders, were affected in what it described as an accidental air strike at the Jilli Saturday Market in Gubio Local Government Area.
According to the agency, victims included residents from Geidam in Yobe State who had crossed into the border community for market activities.
“The Yobe State Emergency Management Agency wishes to inform the general public that it has received preliminary reports of an incident on Saturday evening at Jilli Saturday Market in Gubio Local Government Area bordering Geidam, which reportedly resulted in casualties affecting some traders from Geidam LGA, Yobe State.
“In response, SEMA, as directed by Governor Mai Mala Buni, in collaboration with relevant security agencies and health authorities, immediately activated emergency response mechanisms and deployed assessment teams to the affected area to ascertain the facts and provide necessary support to victims,” the statement added.
