More than 200 people are feared dead after Nigerian military jets struck a crowded village market in the country’s northeast while targeting Islamist militants, local officials and residents said on Sunday.
The airstrike hit Jilli Market late Saturday in Yobe state, near the border with Borno, the epicentre of a long-running insurgency led by groups such as Boko Haram.
Nigeria’s Air Force said it had carried out operations against militants in the Jilli axis of Borno state but did not acknowledge hitting a civilian market. It did not respond to further requests for clarification.
Lawan Zanna Nur Geidam, a councillor and traditional head of Fuchimeram ward in Geidam district, said the toll was catastrophic.
“It’s a very devastating incident at Jilli Market. As I’m speaking to you, over 200 people have lost their lives from the air strike,” he told Reuters by phone.
Residents and a humanitarian agency official also confirmed the strike and the scale of casualties, while emergency responders scrambled to assist the wounded.
The Yobe State Emergency Management Agency said it had received initial reports of the incident, which “resulted in casualties affecting some marketers,” and had activated its response teams.
Injured victims were transported to hospitals across Yobe and neighbouring Borno state, officials said.
Ahmed Ali, a trader at the market, described the moment the strike hit.
“I became so scared and attempted to run away, but a friend dragged me and we all lay on the ground,” he said from his hospital bed.