Patients receive treatment at a hospital in Damaturu after Nigerian Air Force strikes hit a local market Saturday in northeastern Nigeria, 12 April 2026.
A wave of violence in Nigeria has left around 100 civilians dead after a combination of military airstrikes and attacks by armed bandit groups, marking one of the deadliest days in the country’s long-running security crisis.
According to local sources, at least 72 people were killed in an airstrike by the Nigerian military on a crowded market in Tumfa village, in Zamfara State. Witnesses say many of the victims were civilians, with some bodies badly burned or “beyond recognition” after the explosion.
Human rights group Amnesty International reported that at least 100 civilians may have died in the strike, while local community leaders gave varying tolls ranging from 72 to over 100, saying accurate figures remain difficult to confirm due to insecurity in the area.
The military said the strike targeted suspected armed group leaders and denied reports that civilians were killed, insisting that an investigation would be carried out into the incident.
A second air operation in neighbouring Niger State reportedly killed at least 13 civilians, according to residents, although the military has also denied causing civilian casualties in that attack.
The incidents came amid widespread violence across northern Nigeria, where so-called “bandit” groups continue to operate. These armed gangs, driven largely by financial gain rather than ideology, carry out kidnappings for ransom, raid villages, and impose illegal taxes on rural communities.
In addition to the airstrikes, bandit attacks on Sunday reportedly killed dozens of civilians in separate incidents. Security reports seen by international agencies indicated that at least 30 travellers were killed in one attack in Zamfara State, while coordinated raids in nearby Katsina State left another 12 people dead.
The violence highlights the complex and worsening security situation in northern Nigeria, where state forces are battling both criminal bandit networks and jihadist groups, sometimes operating in the same regions.
The military has in the past been accused of causing civilian casualties during air operations targeting suspected militants. Similar incidents have been recorded in recent years, including a market bombing in the northeast that killed dozens of civilians.
Authorities say investigations into the latest strikes are ongoing, while communities in affected rural areas continue to bear the brunt of both military operations and armed group attacks, often with little state protection or reliable communication reaching remote villages.
Analysts warn that without improved intelligence and coordination, civilian populations will remain at high risk in a conflict zone where fighters and civilians often operate in the same crowded rural spaces.
