Amnesty International (AI).has urged Nigerian authorities to conduct an immediate and impartial investigation into a deadly air strike that occurred on Saturday evening, killing at least 20 people in Tungar Kara village, located in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The organization highlighted that dozens of others were critically injured and are currently without access to adequate medical care.
Amnesty International condemned the air strike, emphasizing that “launching air raids is not a legitimate law enforcement method by anyone’s standard.”
The organization described the use of such indiscriminate force as “unlawful, outrageous,” and indicative of a “shocking disregard for the lives of those it supposedly exists to protect.”
The human rights group expressed concern over what it perceives as a growing trend of the Nigerian military employing deadly force in situations that require careful law enforcement measures.
Amnesty International highlighted that this incident comes just weeks after another air strike on Christmas Day, which targeted two communities in Silame Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
“This pattern of reckless military tactics,” Amnesty stated, “shows a troubling disregard for civilian safety and an increasing reliance on lethal force in contexts where it is neither appropriate nor justified.”
The group warned that the Nigerian authorities’ persistent failure to hold the military accountable for such actions is fostering a culture of impunity.
It stressed that this impunity is not only undermining public trust in the military but is also putting civilian lives at significant risk.
They called on the Nigerian government to ensure that those responsible for the air strikes are brought to justice and to implement measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
The latest air strike has once again put the spotlight on the Nigerian military’s approach to security operations, raising critical questions about the rules of engagement and the protection of human rights during military interventions.
* Media Report