The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has officially denied reports of civilian casualties following a recent air strike in Zamfara State, dismissing claims that the operation hit a crowded market.

The military’s response comes after Amnesty International alleged that at least 100 civilians, including women and children, were killed in a Sunday air strike on a market in Tumfa village.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja that the operation was based on multi-sourced intelligence targeting a confirmed high-level gathering of bandit leaders. He emphasized that no credible, substantiated evidence of civilian casualties has been established through any official assessment.

The DHQ maintained that the strike was conducted in strict adherence to international humanitarian law and was intended solely to neutralize terrorist threats in the North-West.

Amnesty International and local witnesses, however, have challenged this narrative, with reports suggesting that dozens of victims were buried shortly after the attack. The rights group urged the federal government to launch an independent investigation, citing a history of accidental air strikes in the region that have claimed hundreds of innocent lives.

This latest incident has reignited the debate over the military’s coordination between air and ground intelligence. While the DHQ insists that terrorists often use civilians as human shields, human rights advocates argue that the lack of accountability for previous errors continues to put rural communities at extreme risk.

The DHQ has urged the public and the international community to disregard what it calls unverified and misleading death tolls. For now, the military maintains that the mission was a success, resulting in the neutralization of several key bandit figures who were planning attacks on nearby communities.