An air-fired weapon in Nigeria killed at least 21 members of a civil defense group as they responded to an attack by gunmen in the country’s volatile north, witnesses said Wednesday.
Authorities have not said who was responsible for the attack, which residents described as coming from a drone. It took place in the state of Niger, one of the most insecure areas in Nigeria despite its proximity to the capital, Abuja.
Ayuba Lagodo, a member of the civil defense group trying to protect the villagers, said a drone strike came shortly after residents reported an ongoing attack in Galadimakogo. Such advocacy groups are common in northern Nigeria, where many hotbeds of violence have an inadequate official security presence.
At least 21 people were confirmed dead after Tuesday’s strike. Lagodo said the death toll would likely rise because many people were seriously injured or missing.
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While it was unclear who launched the drone, blame quickly fell on the Nigerian Air Force, which has carried out similar strikes in recent years.
Federal police in the state of Niger told The Associated Press on Wednesday that a military operation had been carried out in the state. However, spokespersons for the Nigerian Air Force and the Nigerian Defense Headquarters have yet to respond to questions from the media.
Two state government officials began investigating the incident, said Mary Noel-Berge, press secretary to the governor of Niger.
A drone struck north-central Nigeria on Wednesday, killing at least 21 members of a civil defense group. People believe that the death toll will rise due to undercounted injuries.
Military airstrikes are common in Nigeria, where an Islamist insurgency in the northeast and violent attacks by armed groups in the northwestern and central regions have overstretched the country’s military.
In 2017, more than 100 people were killed when a refugee camp was mistakenly bombed. Some Nigerian army soldiers were killed in 2021 after a fighter jet that security forces said was targeting extremists bombed their truck.
“‘Accidental’ attacks are very common in Nigeria. One of the things we can attribute this to is faulty intelligence,” said Confidence MacHarry, a security analyst at Lagos-based security firm SBM Intelligence.
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Lack of accountability also plays a role, he added.
“Not a single person has been punished in the history of all these airstrikes against civilians,” MacHarry said.
