Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for a “thorough and urgent” investigation into repeated civilian deaths linked to military airstrikes across conflict-affected regions of the country.
The commission expressed concern over what it described as recurring incidents involving civilian casualties, urging the armed forces to ensure compliance with both domestic law and international humanitarian standards during counter-insurgency operations.
The NHRC said the pattern of reported deaths raises serious questions about operational safeguards, stressing that while the military has a constitutional duty to combat insurgency, banditry, and terrorism, such efforts must not come at the cost of civilian lives.
Human rights group Amnesty International reported that at least 100 civilians were allegedly killed in a recent Nigerian airstrike on a crowded market in Zamfara State in northwestern Nigeria. The attack is said to be the third similar incident reported since April.
However, the Nigerian military has denied responsibility for civilian deaths in the Zamfara incident, stating that there is no evidence confirming that non-combatants were killed during the operation.
Nigeria has increasingly relied on air power in its fight against insecurity, particularly in the northeast, where it continues to battle a long-running insurgency involving extremist groups, as well as in the northwest, where armed criminal gangs known locally as bandits operate alongside militant networks.
NHRC Executive Secretary Tony Ojukwu questioned the recurrence of such incidents, asking how long civilian casualties would continue to be recorded in military operations and urging greater accountability within the security system.
In a separate statement, the United Nations Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk, said he was “shocked” by reports from Zamfara and called for an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the alleged airstrike.
The controversy follows earlier reports in April of another airstrike in Jilli, northeastern Nigeria, which also reportedly resulted in civilian deaths. The Nigerian Air Force has since opened an internal investigation into that incident.
Under Nigerian law, the NHRC has the mandate to investigate human rights violations and refer cases for prosecution, but enforcement ultimately depends on action by the Attorney General and other judicial authorities.
The latest allegations have renewed concerns about civilian protection in Nigeria’s ongoing counter-insurgency campaigns, with rights groups urging stronger safeguards to prevent further loss of innocent lives.
