A military airstrike struck Guradnayi hamlet near Kusasu in Niger State’s Shiroro Local Government Area early Sunday morning, killing several civilians, according to reports.
The event is the latest in a string of unintentional airstrikes that have harmed rural villages in conflict-torn Nigeria.
Residents told Premium Times that the incident occurred at 5 a.m. and was carried out by armed terrorists riding motorcycles around the area.
Auta Awododo, a Kusasu local, reported that at least 12 people killed in the home of one of his relatives in Guradnayi.
“It happened around 5 a.m.,” he explained.
Mr Awododo further stated that one of the victims was his cousin’s son.
“Twelve people were killed in his house,” he claimed. “The rest were Kusasu people who were fleeing from the terrorists.”
Prior to the bombings, locals said that military aircraft were following militants.
“The military first threw a bomb near the river in Kusasu,” one resident explained.
“The second bomb was dropped at Guradnayi.”
The Nigerian Air Force had not yet issued an official statement regarding the event.