Weapons fired from Nigeria’s skies have killed at least 21 members of a civil defense group responding to an attack by militants in the country’s unstable north, witnesses said Wednesday.
Authorities have not revealed who was responsible for the strike. Despite being close to the capital Abuja, he was held in one of Nigeria’s most insecure regions, the state of Niger.
Ayuba Lagod, a member of a civil defense group trying to protect villagers, said the drone strike came shortly after residents reported an attack was underway in Garadimakogo. Such defense groups are common in northern Nigeria, where public security forces are inadequate in many hotspots of violence.
At least 21 people have been confirmed dead after Tuesday’s strike. Lagod said the death toll was likely to rise as many people were seriously injured or missing.
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It was not clear who launched the drone, but blame was quickly shifted to the Nigerian Air Force, which has carried out similar attacks in recent years.
Federal police in Niger told the Associated Press on Wednesday that a military operation had taken place in the state. However, spokespersons for the Nigerian Air Force and the Nigerian Defense Headquarters have yet to respond to media inquiries.
Two provincial government officials have launched an investigation into the incident, said Mary Noel-Berge, chief spokeswoman for Niger’s governor.
A drone struck north-central Nigeria on Wednesday, killing at least 21 members of a civil defense group.
Military air raids are frequent in Nigeria, with Muslim insurgency in the northeast and violent attacks by armed groups in the northwest and central regions overstretching the country’s military.
In 2017, more than 100 people were killed when a refugee camp was mistakenly bombed. Some Nigerian soldiers died in 2021 after fighter jets, which security forces said were targeting militants, bombed their trucks.
“‘Accidental’ strikes are highly prevalent in Nigeria. One of the things we can attribute to this is incomplete information,” said Lagos-based SBM intelligence security firm. security analyst Confidence McHarry said.
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Lack of accountability is also a factor, he added.
“In the history of all these airstrikes against civilians, not a single person has been punished,” McHarry said.
