By Ebere Inyama
(Yobe state) — In recent days, major security incidents in Nigeria have been swiftly followed by conflicting reports, many of which gain traction before official information becomes available.
The latest example is the military airstrike on a Boko Haram enclave inside a Market in Jilli, Gubio Local Government Area (county) of Borno state on 11 April, 2026.
Media reports vs Government narrative
Few hours after the airstrikes, the media space was awash with reports alleging mass civilian casualties.
Daily Trust reported that 56 innocent civilians were killed while Amnesty International stated more than 100 people died at the scene of the strikes.
But the Nigerian army refuted those reports.
In a post via X on 12 April, 2026, the military stated that it “successfully conducted a precision air strike on a known terrorist enclave and logistics hub located near the abandoned village of Jilli”. The statement added that “scores of terrorists were killed in the strike’, but did not mention any civilian deaths.
In a separate statement a few hours later, the air force announced that it had launched an investigation following reports that its airstrike “may have affected a local market in Jilli, resulting in civilian casualties”.
A similar pattern was observed in the reporting of the recent attack in Benisheik on 9 April, 2026.
Terrorists overran the 29 Task Force Brigade and destroyed multiple military vehicles, killing 17 people, including a Brigade Commander, according to a report by the Nigerian media. But subsequent official confirmation by the Nigerian army stated that only 4 people were killed.
One incident, different official statements
Whereas the Nigerian military stated that it successfully conducted a precision air strike on a known terrorist enclave and logistics hub located near the abandoned village of Jilli, the government of Yobe state said the air strike had been conducted near a market where shoppers and vendors had gathered.
“Some of the affected victims came from Geidam LGA bordering Gubio LGA in Borno state who went to the Jilli weekly market”, the statement by Yobe state government read.
“They have been evacuated to Geidam Specialist Hospital and are receiving treatment,” the statement added.
A report from the Chief Medical Director of Maiduguri Specialist Hospital, Dr. Shehu Mohammed, confirmed the receipt of 21 injured people from the Jilli air strikes who were receiving medical attention.
According to him, the victims include five females and 16 males.
Similar inconsistencies trailed the recent Palm Sunday attack in Jos., Plateau state where the basic facts; attackers and death toll proved difficult to pin down. Even the casualty figures diverged, specifics withheld by officials and media reports offered sharply different accounts, leaving facts unsettled.
“When reporting is inconsistent, it becomes harder to identify patterns,” Anuhe Aba, a retired journalist told TruthNigeria in an earlier interview.
Suspect confirms Jilli axis as terrorists’ enclave
A 15-year-old suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) logistics courier in Ngamdu who identified himself as Tijjani, confessed, during preliminary interrogation that he participated in the recent attacks on Benisheik, adding that his group mobilized from Jilli before executing the attacks and subsequently returned to the enclave.
Tijjani, was apprehended on Sunday while allegedly attempting to procure logistics for insurgent fighters operating within the Ngamdu–Benisheik corridor.
“I was arrested today in Ngamdu. I was among the terrorists that attacked Benisheik and Ngamdu,” Tijani said in a video.
“Before the attack we came from Jilli and returned there after the attack,” he continued.
“I was sent from Jilli yesterday with N850,000 ($619) to collect some logistics from Ngamdu, but I was arrested by troops,” Tijani added.
Benisheik and Ngamdu are located in the Kaga Local Government Area (county) of Borno State along the main highway between Maiduguri and Damaturu and has recently been a focal point for military operations following insurgent activities in the region.
Advocacy groups react
Reacting to the incident, the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Mr. Tony Ojukwu, expressed concern over the recurrence of such incidents.
“This is not an isolated incident. Each recurrence erodes public trust and undermines the legitimacy of counter-terrorism efforts,” he said.
“Whether the incident is accidental does not absolve the state of its obligation to protect civilians,” Ojukwu added.
Also reacting, a legislative advocacy group, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre/Transparency International in Nigeria (CISLAC/TI-Nigeria), blamed the recurrence of such lapses on weak intelligence.
“We find it disturbing that evidence from similar cases shows recurring structural gaps such as weak intelligence verification; lack of precision targeting capacity and pressure for rapid results”, CISLC’s Executive Director, Auwal Musa, wrote in a statement on Sunday.
“We recommend immediate adoption of Civilian Protection Framework to institutionalize Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response used by modern militaries; mandatory civilian risk assessments before strikes; formulation and implementation of comprehensive policy on No-strike lists (markets, hospitals, religious sites); real-time abort protocols when civilian presence is detected,” the statement added.
Ebere Inyama reports on conflict for TruthNigeria.
