No fewer than 30 people have been feared killed following a military airstrike that struck Jilli village market, located along the boundary between Borno and Yobe States, on Saturday evening.
The incident reportedly occurred at the busy weekly Jilli Market between Gubio and Geidam axis, throwing traders and residents into panic as explosions rocked the commercial hub during peak trading hours.
A local councillor, Lawan Zannah, confirmed the casualty figures in a telephone interview with PUNCH Online on Sunday.
He said, “From the information available to us, it was an airstrike. Over 30 people have been confirmed dead, and more than 20 were hospitalised.”
Eyewitnesses gave varying accounts of the scale of the tragedy, with some saying the death toll may be higher.
One witness said, “I counted 56 corpses myself, more bodies are still being recovered.”
Sources suggested that the operation may have targeted suspected Boko Haram fighters believed to have gathered in the area, but the strike reportedly landed on the crowded market instead.
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The Jilli weekly market attracts traders from several nearby communities including Gubio, Chiweram, Benisheikh, Gurokayeya, and Geidam.
The Special Adviser to the Yobe State Governor on Security Matters, Brigadier General Abdulsalam Dahiru (retd.), confirmed the incident on Sunday but clarified that Jilli village is under Gubio Local Government Area in Borno State.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Air Force had yet to release an official statement on the airstrike.