•Nigeria Air Force (NAF) jet fighters
An airstrike targeted at bandits has reportedly killed some civilians in Shiroro Local Council of Niger State.
It was gathered that bandits numbering well over 500 were seen loitering in some Shiroro communities, having come in from neighbouring Zamfara and Kaduna states, reports The Guardian.
The exact destination of the bandits was not immediately known, but residents of the Kuchi, Chibani, and Zagzaga communities in Munya Local Council, as well as other communities around, fled their homes for safety after noticing the invasion.
Dependable sources in the affected communities confirmed the incident to newsmen.
One of them said, “We reliably gathered that the bandits had assembled and slept at Kusasu community in Shiroro on Saturday before crossing over to Chibani en routeZagzaga community.
“A swift reaction from the Air Force invaded the area, and while targeting the bandits in Kusasu on Saturday, some civilians lost their lives. But we have yet to ascertain the number of civilians killed. Some houses in Kusasu were greatly affected as a result of the air strike, hence the affected civilians.”
Chairman of Munya Local Council, Aminu Najume, said the bandits must have invaded the local council from neighbouringChukun Local Council in Kaduna.
Sources revealed that security personnel had been drafted to the affected areas.
However, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) denied reports that civilians were killed during recent airstrikes by the Nigerian military in Shiroro, insisting that the operation targeted only armed bandits.
According to a statement released yesterday by the Director of Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Maj-Gen. Michael Onoja, the operation was conducted following intelligence indicating the convergence of armed bandits at Lukupe Village in Shiroro on May 9, 2026.
The military said the Nigerian Army UAV Command subsequently carried out multiple air interdiction strikes between 11.59 p.m. on May 10 and 6.00 a.m. across suspected bandit hideouts in Katerma, Bokko, Kusasu and Kuduru villages.
Onoja stated that local intelligence sources confirmed that the aerial bombardments were “precise on target” in Kusasu, Katerma and Bokko villages.
He disclosed that about 70 bandits were killed in Kusasu alone, while surviving fighters were seen evacuating the bodies of their colleagues for burial.
Also, the Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Security, Maurice Magaji, confirmed the military airstrike but insisted that those killed alongside the terrorists were informants and not innocent civilians.
“It was a very successful military action against the terrorists. No civilian was killed. The only people killed were the terrorists and their informants in Shiroro.
“Before the military operation began, we warned civilians to evacuate, which they did. The only people left were the terrorists and their informants,” he said.
