A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) airstrike in Katsina has claimed the lives of six civilians in Yauni community, Zakka ward of Safana Local Government Area.
The airstrike followed a gunfight between security forces and bandits who had planned to attack voters in Zakka village during Saturday’s local government election.
Amnesty International, however, reported a higher casualty figure, stating that 10 people were killed in the incident.
In a post on X on Sunday, the organization demanded an “impartial, transparent, and immediate investigation” into the airstrike.
Security forces had engaged the bandits in a firefight before a military fighter jet, seemingly deployed for reinforcement, dropped a bomb on Yauni community.
The incident has sparked concerns about civilian safety and the need for greater accuracy in military operations.
“It was after the exchange of fire that the military jet, likely sent as backup, bombed Yauni community, south of Zakka, killing six members of a family and injuring a woman,” a source told Daily Trust.
This is not the first time accidental airstrikes have claimed civilian lives in Katsina.
