Nigeria rights body demands probe into civilian deaths in airstrikes

Nigeria's human rights body called on the military on Thursday to launch a "thorough and prompt" investigation into recurrent civilian casualties from military airstrikes. The National Human Rights Commission, a state body, said repeated reports of deaths and injuries raised serious concerns about compliance with humanitarian and human rights law. Amnesty International said on Tuesday that at least 100 civilians had been killed in a Nigerian military airstrike on a crowded market in remote northwest Zamfara state last weekend, the third reported incident since April.

The military has said there was no evidence of civilian casualties. The NHRC said that while the fight against insurgency, banditry and other insecurity was a legitimate responsibility of the state, operations must not violate the constitution or international humanitarian principles. NHRC executive secretary Tony Ojukwu said, "Nigerians deserve to know why this has become a recurring decimal. For how long will this continue?" In a separate statement dated May 13, U.N. Human Rights chief Volker Turk said he was shocked by reports of civilian deaths in Zamfara and urged Nigerian authorities to undertake a "thorough, independent and impartial" investigation.

In April, about were killed in an airstrike on a weekly market in Jilli, in northeastern Nigeria. The military has opened an investigation into that incident. Under Nigerian law, the commission can investigate alleged abuses and refer matters to the country's attorney general for prosecution.