The incident is the latest in recent bombings targeting residents in northern Nigeria, where armed groups are widespread.

A Nigerian military strike that used drones against rebels instead killed at least 85 civilians who had gathered for a religious celebration, authorities said Monday.

The attack was the latest in recent bombings targeting residents of Nigeria’s troubled regions. Between February 2014, when a Nigerian military aircraft dropped a bomb on Daglun, Borno State, killing 20 civilians, and September 2022, there were at least 14 documented incidents such bombings in residential areas.

The attack on Sunday evening in Tudun Biri village in Igabi Local Government Area of ​​Kaduna State occurred as Muslims gathered there to observe the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday holiday. Kaduna Governor Uba Sani said civilians were “mistakenly killed and many others injured” by a drone “targeting terrorists and bandits.”

The National Emergency Management Agency said in a statement Tuesday that “85 bodies have been buried so far while the search continues.”

Meanwhile, Amnesty International’s Nigeria office said 120 people were killed in the attack, citing reports from staff and volunteers in the region.

“Many of them were children [and] More and more bodies are being discovered,” Isa Sanusi, the group’s director in Nigeria, told The Associated Press.

According to Igabi resident Mustapha Rufai, at least 50 bodies were recovered. “They said they accidentally dropped a bomb on them,” he said.

Extremist and rebel attacks have devastated parts of Nigeria’s northwest and central regions. The country’s armed forces often target armed groups’ hideouts with airstrikes, but sometimes also bomb villagers.

The groups, known as banditsThey raided villages and attacked an air force fighter jet And Indentand kidnapped people of all ages, including children, for ransom.

Human rights violations

The latest bombing sparked outrage among citizens and reminded many of widespread allegations of human rights abuses by Nigerian security forces that have raised concerns among Western allies, including the United States.

The head of the Nigerian Army branch responsible for operations in Kaduna was quoted by the state government as saying Monday’s drone deployment was a routine operation at a security meeting.

“The Nigerian Army was on a routine mission against terrorists but unintentionally [its actions] affected members of the community,” Major General Valentine Okoro, Head of the Army Department, was quoted as saying in a statement by the Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security.

“Search and rescue efforts are still ongoing and dozens of injured victims have been evacuated to hospital for treatment,” Kaduna State Commissioner for Security Samuel Aruwan said.

The Nigerian Air Force said in a statement that it had not conducted any operations in Kaduna on Sunday evening, but that it was not the only one “using armed combat drones” in the region. A spokesman for the Nigerian army did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Local media reported that villagers had fled the area fearing further drone strikes. Activists said similar incidents in the past were not investigated, leaving victims and survivors without adequate compensation or justice.

Sani, the state governor, said officials had been sent to the village to meet the victims’ families and an investigation was underway.

“We are determined to prevent a repeat of this tragedy and assure our people that their protection is a priority in the sustained fight against terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements,” he said.