At least 100 civilians were reported killed and many others injured and displaced after a military airstrike in Zamfara State, northwestern Nigeria, on Sunday, as the army continues to battle bandit gangs and insurgent groups across regions.
Footage filmed on Wednesday shows wounded victims, including minors and the elderly, being treated at a facility in Niger State, many with serious injuries and bandages.
Displaced people were also seen at a nearby shelter camp with their belongings.
"We were sleeping after we escaped the bandits who had stormed through our village. Then we heard loud noises, and the fire caught our rooms. Many people died in our room. I only found myself here", said a child who survived the attack.
"We heard loud gunshots from the roof, and everything was on fire. I only woke up to find myself in the hospital. I have serious pain all over my body, I can't hear very well, and I can't move this hand," another recalled.
Authorities sent teams to confirm the death toll and assess the number of displaced residents, as survivors appealed for government help, saying they could no longer farm, rebuild their homes or feed their children.
"We are tired of running around every year, and right now we don't know where our men and husbands are or how they eat. We just want to return to our village and rebuild our homes, and we can't feed our children if we don't farm", said a displaced woman.
Up to 100 people were killed in an alleged military airstrike in Zamfara State on Sunday, while the army denied deliberately targeting civilians amid an operation against banditry and jihadist insurgent groups in northwest Nigeria.
Local media cited Major General Michael Onoja as confirming the airstrike on Tumfa Market but said the military conducted a precision operation against 'terrorist elements' accused of collecting illegal levies at the market.
The military denied reports of mass civilian casualties, saying there was 'no verifiable evidence' to support figures cited by rights groups, including Amnesty, and added that a post-strike assessment showed 'several terrorists were neutralised'.