An unspecified number of civilians were reportedly killed when the Nigerian Air Force conducted an airstrike on Guradnayi, a settlement near Kusasu in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, early Sunday morning.
Witnesses estimated that at least 12 people died in a single residence during the incident, which occurred around 5 a.m. Many of the victims were residents of Kusasu who had fled from terrorists in the area.
“It happened around 5 a.m.,” said Auta Awododo, a resident of Kusasu, who lost his cousin’s son in the strike. “Twelve people were killed in his house. The rest were Kusasu people who were fleeing from the terrorists.”
Residents reported that armed men on motorcycles had passed through the area while being pursued by military aircraft. “The military first threw a bomb near the river in Kusasu,” one resident said. “The second bomb was dropped at Guradnayi.”
The Nigerian Air Force has not issued any official statement on the incident, and its spokesperson has yet to respond to enquiries.
Locals described the strike as part of a pattern, noting previous airstrikes in Shiroro that also resulted in civilian casualties without full resolution or accountability.
A security source confirmed that the armed group escaped from Kusasu into neighbouring Munya Local Government Area, where they remain active. “As I speak to you now, they (terrorists) are operating in Kabula near Kuchi,” the source said. “There’s no confirmed report of abduction or killings yet, but they have rustled many cattle from communities in Munya.”
