A Nigerian Air Force airstrike mistakenly killed six family members in Katsina’s Safana LGA while targeting bandits. The tragedy follows a gunfight that left three security personnel dead. With past incidents of accidental bombings in the state, concerns rise over military precision in conflict zones.
A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) airstrike tragically killed six members of a family in Yauni, Zakka ward, Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State. The attack, reportedly meant to support security forces fighting bandits, instead hit innocent civilians, leaving one woman injured.
Earlier, security personnel, including two police officers and a Community Watch Corps (CWC) operative, were killed in a gunfight with bandits who had planned to disrupt the local government elections in Zakka village. The confrontation led to the intervention of a military fighter jet, which mistakenly dropped a bomb on Yauni, south of Zakka, causing civilian casualties.
This is not the first case of accidental airstrikes in Katsina. In July 2022, a similar incident in Kunkunni village claimed two lives when a military jet mistakenly bombed the area.
Efforts to obtain official reactions from security agencies regarding the latest tragedy were unsuccessful. The incident has sparked fresh concerns over the accuracy of military operations in conflict-prone regions, with calls for improved intelligence gathering and safeguards to prevent further civilian casualties.
