A Niger State resident, Victor Solomon, has said three of his children were killed in a military airstrike allegedly targeted at terrorists in Shiroro Local Government Area of the state.
The airstrike, which reportedly occurred on Sunday, was said to have hit Guradnayi village near Kusasu community in Galadima-Kogo District.
Sources in the state told Punch that more than a dozen civilians were also killed in the strike.
Solomon, 50, said he was asleep around 5 am when the airstrike occurred, leaving him with severe facial injuries.
He said, “I don’t know if I can survive this. I lost three children in the strike, and I sustained severe injuries to my face. I am in pain. We need help from the government.”
A resident, Gideon Bamaiyi, said bandits had earlier passed through their usual route in the area before the airstrike.
According to him, 13 people, including seven children who were taking shelter in his elder brother’s house, were killed.
He added that six others were receiving treatment at a private hospital in Zumba, Shiroro LGA, while five of the victims, including a little girl, were still unconscious.
Niger Govt Denies Civilian Casualties
The Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Security, Maurice Magaji, confirmed that the military carried out aerial bombardment of terrorist hideouts around Shiroro.
He, however, insisted that no civilian was killed.
Magaji said, “It was a very successful military action against the terrorists. No civilian was killed. The only people killed were the terrorists and their informants in Shiroro.
“Before the military began, we warned the civilians to evacuate, which they did. The only people left then were the terrorists and their informants, and the informants are also terrorists. Anybody who was there must have been an informant.”
Defence Headquarters Insists Strike Hit Terrorists
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) also denied that civilians were killed in the airstrikes.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, said the operation followed intelligence reports that armed bandits had converged in Shiroro LGA on May 9, 2026.
Onoja said, “In line with the AFN mandate to conduct operations to rout out all forms of insecurity in the country, on 9 May 2026, intelligence reports indicated the convergence of armed bandits at Lukupe Village in Shiroro LGA.
“Subsequently, on 10 May 2026, between the hours of 1159pm and 6 am, the Nigerian Army UAV Command, acting on intelligence, conducted multiple air strikes on different bandit locations, including Katerma, Bokko, Kusasu and Kuduru Villages, all in Shiroro LGA of Niger State.”
He added that the strikes were precise and hit terrorist locations.
“Further reports from local sources confirmed that the aerial interdiction was precise on target at Kusasu, Katerma, and Bokko. See video footage. It was gathered that about 70 bandits were hit and killed in Kusasu,” the military stated.