Drone strike kills 21 civilians in north Nigeria, claim witnesses

A weapon fired from the air in Nigeria killed at least 21 members of a civilian defence group as they responded to an attack by gunmen in the countrys volatile north witnesses said on WednesdayAuthorities have not said who was responsible for the strike which residents described as coming from a drone It took place in Niger state one of Nigerias most insecure areas despite its close proximity to the capital AbujaAyuba Lagodo a member of the civilian defence group that tries to protect villagers said a drone strike hit shortly after residents reported an attack under way in Galadimakogo Such defence groups are common in Nigerias north where many hot spots of violence have an inadequate official security presenceAt least 21 people were confirmed dead after Tuesdays strike Lagodo said the death toll would likely rise because many people were critically wounded or unaccounted for While it wasnt clear who launched the drone blame quickly fell on the Nigeria Air Force which has carried out similar strikes in recent yearsFederal police in Niger state told The Associated Press on Wednesday that a military operation had been conducted in the state However spokespeople for the Nigerian Air Force and Nigerias Defence Headquarters have yet to respond to media inquiries Two state government officials have started to investigate the incident said Mary NoelBerge chief press secretary to Nigers governorAlso read Dozens kidnapped as gunmen attack train station in NigeriaMilitary air raids are common in Nigeria where an Islamist insurgency in the northeast and violent attacks by armed groups in the northwest and central regions have overstretched the countrys armed forcesIn 2017 more than 100 people were killed when a refugee camp was mistakenly bombed Some Nigerian army soldiers died in 2021 after a fighter jet that security forces said was targeting extremists bombed their truckAccidental strikes are very rampant in Nigeria One of the things we can attribute this to is faulty intel Confidence MacHarry a security analyst with the Lagosbased SBM Intelligence security firm said A lack of accountability also plays a role he addedNot a single person has been punished in the history of all these airstrikes on civilians MacHarry saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever