‘Village long abandoned by residents’ — military defends Jili bombing that reportedly killed 100 civilians

The Nigerian military has defended a lethal air strike on the Jilli market along the Borno-Yobe border, characterizing the site as a “terrorist enclave” and movement corridor for ISWAP fighters, despite Amnesty International’s claim that at least 100 civilians were killed in the operation.

The Nigerian military has mounted a formal defense of its Saturday air strike on Jilli Market, situated along the volatile border between Borno and Yobe states, following reports of high civilian casualties. In a statement released on Sunday, April 12, 2026, Captain Sani Uba, the spokesperson for the North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, clarified that the mission was a “precision strike” conducted on April 11 after extensive intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions over the Bindul-Jilli axis. Uba maintained that the location was a known terrorist enclave and logistics hub for fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and their collaborators, serving as a primary movement corridor for insurgent operations.

The military’s justification comes amid a wave of international condemnation led by Amnesty International, which has alleged that more than 100 people were killed during the operation. The human rights organization described the use of air power in a civilian market setting as “unlawful” and “outrageous,” questioning the legality of the mission. “Launching air raids is not a legitimate law enforcement method by anyone’s standard,” the rights group stated, adding that “Such reckless use of deadly force is unlawful, outrageous and lays bare the Nigerian military’s shocking disregard for the lives of those it supposedly exists to protect.” Amnesty also reported that the emergency unit at Geidam General Hospital has been overwhelmed with at least 35 victims suffering from severe injuries.

The Yobe State government confirmed that while the strike was targeted at a Boko Haram stronghold in Borno’s Gubio Local Government Area, several residents from Yobe’s Geidam district who were visiting the weekly market were caught in the crossfire. Dahiru Abdulsalam, Special Adviser on Security Matters to the Yobe Governor, noted that victims have been evacuated to Geidam Specialist Hospital for treatment. Despite the military’s insistence that Jilli is a convergence point for fighters, local residents and witnesses maintained that the site was an active trading hub for animal and food sellers. As of Monday morning, the Nigerian Air Force has not responded to the specific death tolls cited by independent monitors, standing by its assessment of the target as a legitimate military objective.

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