New details are emerging following a deadly military airstrike on the Tumfa community market in Zamfara State, North-West Nigeria.
While Operation Fansan Yamma officials maintain that the strike killed high-level terrorist commanders, the survivors of the interdiction tell a more devastating story.
Witnesses claim that thousands of bandits were indeed present in the area, but the subsequent bombardment claimed the lives of over 100 people, many of them innocent villagers.
The aftermath of Sunday’s airstrike in Zurmi Local Government Area remains a scene of grief and controversy.
According to Sector 2 of Operation Fansan Yamma, the mission was a preemptive strike based on credible intelligence.
Military officials say they targeted a summit of notorious terror leaders from across West Africa who were planning coordinated attacks.
But on the ground, the narrative is one of collateral damage.
The wards of Yeriman Bakura Specialist Hospital and the Federal Medical Centre are now filled with the wounded.
Among them is Jamilu Abdullahi, who is mourning two relatives while watching over his injured younger brother. According to her, “the terrorists were there-I saw over a thousand on motorcycles. But by the time the jets arrived, I’m not sure they were still in the market. I was preparing for prayer when the bombs fell. In an instant, I saw my brother covered in blood and my daughter’s legs were fractured. We buried over 80 people immediately; we had to use Sharon minivans just to move the bodies to the cemetery. So many young girls and traders were caught in it.”
Other survivors, like livestock trader Abdullahi Hassan, recount the chaos. He had briefly left his son in the market to move animals when the strike hit. He returned to find his son among the casualties.
While the military insists the operation was a successful hit on a terrorist stronghold, the community is demanding that a distinction be made between the insurgents and the civilians caught in the crossfire.
As of now, the official death toll remains unconfirmed by authorities, but the media information officer of Operation Fansan Yamma, Aliyu Danja in a telephone coversation said clearing operation is still ongoing in the area after which they will issue an official statement as families continue to bury their dead.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
