By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is investigating the reported fatal civilian casualties during airstrikes while pursuing Islamist militants around Jilli Market, around the Borno-Yobe border near Fuchimiram village in the Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State.

In a statement on Sunday, the Director of Public Relations and Information for the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said it “treats all reports of possible civilian harm with the utmost seriousness and empathy.”

According to eye witnesses and local government official accounts, at least 200 people are feared dead after Nigerian military jets struck the village market.

“In line with this commitment, the CAS has directed an immediate activation of the Civilian Harm Accident and Investigation Cell (CHAI-Cell) to immediately proceed to the location on a fact-finding mission on the allegation,” the statement read.

NAF maintained that it remained “firmly committed to professionalism, accountability, and transparency in the conduct of its missions.”

In an earlier statement, the Nigerian Air Force confirmed mop-up air strikes in the Jilli axis, but did not state whether any civilian casualties were recorded.

“Coming amid intensified efforts to track and neutralise terrorist elements responsible for recent attacks on security forces within the wider theatre, the follow-on strikes were aimed at fleeing remnants and regrouping cells seeking to exploit the difficult terrain,” NAF said.

However, Brigadier General Dahiru Abdulsalam, a military adviser to the Yobe state government, said, “Some people from Geidam LGA (local government area) bordering Gubio LGA in Borno state who went to the Jilli weekly market were affected.”

Several persons were feared killed and others wounded after the suspected accidental airstrikes at Jilli Market in the Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State.

Jilli, a border community with Damasak in Borno State, is located over 200 kilometres from Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.

Lawan Zanna Nur Geidam, the councillor and traditional head of Fuchimeram ward in Yobe’s Geidam district, told Reuters that those injured were being taken to hospitals in Yobe and Borno.

“It’s a very devastating incident at Jilli Market. As I’m speaking to you, over 200 ​people have lost their lives ​from the air strike ⁠at the market,” he told Reuters.

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By Adedapo Adesanya

President Bola Tinubu has been tasked to ensure that an alleged missing N2.9 billion of public funds from the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) is accounted for.

In a statement on Sunday, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) said the President must ask the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, to explain what happened to the money, as the two agencies are under his supervision.

The group said the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), should investigate the missing funds or any other diverted funds from the agencies documented in the previous annual reports by the Auditor-General.

According to the statement, the allegations were documented in the latest annual report published by the Auditor-General on September 9, 2025.

SERAP argued that these allegations, involving critical public institutions, represent a grave violation of the public trust and a fundamental breach of Nigeria’s anti-corruption laws and international obligations.

“We’ve urged President Bola Tinubu to direct @bosuntijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and the Management of both the Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd (NIGCOMSAT) and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) to account for and explain the whereabouts of the alleged missing or diverted N2.9 billion of public funds from NIGCOMSAT and NNRA.

“We also urged him to direct Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and anti-corruption agencies to investigate the alleged missing or diverted funds, and any other diverted public funds from the two agencies documented in previous annual reports by the Auditor-General,” the organisation said.

The rights group stressed that anyone found responsible should be prosecuted where sufficient admissible evidence exists, adding that any missing or diverted public funds must be fully recovered and returned to the treasury.

“Anyone suspected to be responsible should face prosecution as appropriate, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, and any missing or diverted public funds should be fully recovered and remitted to the treasury,” the statement added.

“Accountability in NIGCOMSAT and NNRA is critical given their strategic roles in Nigeria’s digital economy and national safety systems. Mismanagement in these agencies not only wastes scarce public resources but also threatens national development, technological progress, and public safety,” it concluded.