Air Force or air threat; the latest bloodbath in Zamfara State , where at least 20 local vigilantes were killed in an “accidental” airstrike on 2 June 2025, is not an isolated tragedy.
It is the latest entry in a shameful pattern of deadly military blunders that continue to cost innocent Nigerians their lives, especially in the northern region, repeatedly.
Just five months earlier, on 11 January 2025, 16 civilians were mistakenly bombed to death in the same state, under strikingly similar circumstances.
Air Force or Air Threat
This tragic pattern has become all too familiar: that the skies thunder with jets, and moments later, communities are shattered, not by bandits or terrorists, unfortunately, but by those who sworn to protect them.
In Kaduna State on 27 September 2024, 24 people were murdered during an air force operation against “misidentified” civilians as terrorists. And these are just the more recent examples.
Relating this back to history, go back to January 2023 when an airstrike in Nasarawa State killed 39 innocent Nigerians.
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In December that same year, 85 worshippers were blown apart during a religious gathering in Tundun Biri, against by a military air operation.
The blood-soaked record doesn’t end there alone, that On 17 January 2017, a horrific misfire in Rann, Borno State, wiped out at least 112 people in a camp housing 40,000 internally displaced persons.
That single strike became a global scandal, a barbaric symbol of military failure that echoed across borders.
Yet, years later, the same horrific mistakes are being repeated and the same excuses offered: Echoring “We are sorry.” “Compensation will be paid.” “It was a mistake.” this can only happen in Nigeria, I guessed, if not else where?
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But let us be clear; a mistake repeated a dozen times is surely no longer a mistake, it is a systemic failure assembled to derive military negligence.
It is negligence, It is incompetence and when lives are lost repeatedly with no meaningful accountability, it begins to look a lot like impunity.
The Nigerian Air Force, under the command of its current leadership, must now confront this crisis of credibility and conscience.
This continued use of airstrikes in civilian areas, especially without watertight intelligence verification, moreover in the same region of the country is not only unlawful, it is morally indefensible.
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What does it say about the value of Nigerian lives if they can be ended from the sky in the blink of an eye, with nothing more than a weak apology to follow.
The need to question government loyalty arised, if not for anything, but, for negligence and over incompetence.
We are not speaking of collateral damage in combat zones, however, we are speaking of weddings, prayer gatherings, and community volunteers.
The vigilantes killed in the latest Zamfara strike were not armed insurgents, they were locals, risking their lives to protect their communities from the very bandits the military claims to be fighting.
Each time such a tragedy occurs, the result is not just death, it is the erosion, as well as the fading of public trust in government.
In many northern communities, actually, a significant number of people no longer believe that these strikes are accidental, but planned.
They see them as targeted, callous, and part of a growing disconnect between the military elite and the reality on the ground.
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Whether or not this perception is correct, it is deeply dangerous. It breeds resentment, suspicion, and even radicalisation.
The Air Force cannot afford to be seen as both protector and predator.
The psychological and political damage of these repeated killings runs deep, mostly in regions already traumatised by Boko Haram, bandits, and kidnappers; state led killings are the final blow to hope.
Let’s not pretend this is inevitable, that this crisis is preventable, but only if leadership takes bold and urgent action. We must demand immediate reform.
Here’s what must happen now:
. Immediate suspension of all airstrikes over civilian-populated areas, unless thoroughly verified by multi-layered intelligence
. An independent and transparent investigation into the 2 June 2025 Zamfara killings, and all previous strikes resulting in civilian deaths
. Public identification and prosecution of all officers and commanders found responsible, whether through direct or indirect action, with perhaps gross negligence. The air threat must be end now, else it will be deteriorated
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. Comprehensive compensation rather than just symbolic for families of victims, including long-term psychological and financial support
. A total overhaul of the Air Force’s operational protocols, with international oversight, to ensure every future strike is lawful, precise, and justified.
Enough is enough!!!
Military uniforms must not become cloaks of impunity as it is deep in the heart of Nigerians.
The duty of the Nigerian Armed Forces as enshrined in our constitution is to protect all Nigerians, not to leave trails of corpses in communities already under siege.
The Nigerian people, especially those in the North, deserve optimum justice as well as safety. Moreover, not just that, they deserve leadership that values their lives.
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If this is truly a democracy, then justice must not only be promised, it must be “seen” to be done.
To the Chief of Air Staff, the time for empty apologies is over, likewise the time for real accountability has arrived.
You must act , otherwise history will remember you not for the enemies you defeated, but for the civilians your jets destroyed.
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