The Nigerian Air Force said it was launching an investigation on Monday following reports that a military air strike may have killed as many as 20 civilians over the weekend.

The incident took place in the country's northwestern Zamfara state, where extremists and rebel groups have taken hold.

Zamfara governor Sulaiman Bala Idris said that civilians working in community security organizations were "mistakenly identified as bandits fleeing" by the military. 

"Regrettably," Idris said, this resulted in "the loss of lives."

Worrying trend

Over the weekend, however, the Zamfara government had described the airstrikes as a "successful" attack on rebel groups. Officials did not confirm the death toll, but locals told reporters they saw at least 20 bodies and 10 people injured.

According to rights groups, the Nigerian government's battle with insurgents in the country's north has cost 400 civilian lives since 2017. In 2023, some 80 people were killed during a religious gathering in Kaduna state.

Although the government promised that military personnel would face a court martial over the incident, nothing about a trial or an investigation report has been published publicly.

Observers have noted this lack of transparency as a reoccurring theme when civilians are killed during military operations.

es/ab (AP, Reuters)