No fewer than 72 people were reportedly killed after a military air strike hit Tumfa market in Zurmi LGA of Zamfara state on Sunday, according to AFP.
Citing a community leader, AFP reports that some of the victims’ bodies were “blown beyond recognition”.
“The actual death toll is hard to establish at the moment. Everybody, residents and bandits, goes to the market. People are at the mercy of the bandits. There is nothing they can do,” Garba Ibrahim Mashema told AFP.
A local source told the news wire service that the Tumfa market is controlled by bandits and that some of those killed were “young girls selling millet porridge and tofu in the market”.
Amnesty International said the death toll has risen to more than 100 people. It added that dozens of injured victims were receiving treatment following the air strike.
The organisation said one of the affected villages buried 80 people in one fell swoop.
“The authorities must investigate these deadly strikes, and put an end to reckless attacks on civilians,” Amnesty International said.
“In parts of the north facing conflicts, civilians have borne the brunt of suffering far too often. These horrific deaths must not be overlooked. The devastated survivors and their families deserve truth, justice and reparations.
“Military aircrafts bombed the weekly market, at a point it was full of people and without warning. The scene was chaotic.
“There were screams, blood, and bodies all over the ground. Those who survived with injuries were evacuated to general hospitals in Zurmi and Shinkafa, while those severely injured are receiving treatment at Yariman Bakura Specialists Hospital Gusau.”
AFP said the Zamfara missile launch occurred on the same day another Nigerian Air Force (NAF) operation targeting bandits in Niger state killed 13 civilians.
Michael Onoja, defence headquarters spokesperson, told AFP that reports of civilian casualties in Zamfara were “not true”.
The military also denied reports that innocent civilians were killed in the Niger state air strike, although it said the incident would be investigated.