Nigeria to Probe Military Airstrike on Jilili Market
Last update: April 15, 2026
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Authorities say Jilli, known locally as the “terrorists’ market,” and nearby Gazabure market were shut five years ago after militants took control.
Nigeria has ordered a full and independent investigation into a military airstrike on a market that left at least 200 people feared dead.
The government while defending the operation said it targeted Islamist militants in an insurgent-held enclave.
Saturday’s strike is the latest to cause heavy civilian casualties in northeast Nigeria, where battlelines are often blurred between fighters and civilians.
Information Minister Mohammed Idris expressed regret over civilian casualties but said the Air Force struck “confirmed terrorist targets” in Jilli village, a high-risk zone in Gubio district long used as a logistics hub by insurgents.
“The Federal Government reiterates that this was a deliberate, intelligence-led operation, not an indiscriminate attack, conducted in one of the most active insurgent corridors in the northeast,” Idris said in a statement.
He said the investigation would examine both the planning and execution of the operation.
Intelligence indicated the area was used to collect levies, procure supplies and plan attacks, including assaults on April 9 in Ngamdu and Benisheikh that killed a general.
Militants have waged a 17-year insurgency aimed at carving out an Islamic state in northeast Nigeria. Thousands have been killed and at least 2 million people have also been displaced due to the Insurgency despite sustained military campaigns.
