By Austine Odekina, Abuja
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has dismissed reports alleging civilian casualties during a recent military operation in Zamfara State, insisting that casualty figures circulating in sections of the media are speculative and lack official verification.
In a statement issued Tuesday night, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Michael Onoja, said the operation was carried out on May 10, 2026, by troops of the Joint Task Force North West under Operation Fansan Yamma.
According to the military, the air-land operation targeted a gathering of suspected terrorist leaders at Tumfa Village in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Onoja said intelligence reports from multiple credible human sources had identified the location as a coordination centre for planned attacks against communities across the North West.
The DHQ explained that the mission involved an air interdiction strike, making it impossible to immediately determine exact casualty figures on the ground.
It stated that the various death tolls being circulated by some local and international media organisations do not reflect the official position of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
“The official position remains that several terrorists were neutralised, as confirmed by a Battle Damage Assessment conducted after the strike,” the statement said.
The military also rejected claims of civilian casualties being raised by some groups and international human rights organisations, maintaining that no credible or independently verified evidence has established that civilians were killed in the operation.
According to the DHQ, the targeted location was a confirmed terrorist enclave occupied by armed non-state actors posing a direct threat to civilian populations.
The statement urged individuals and organisations making allegations of civilian deaths to rely on verified evidence instead of unconfirmed social media reports or what it described as adversarial sources aimed at undermining counter-terrorism operations.
The Armed Forces further stressed that all military operations are conducted under strict Rules of Engagement and in line with International Humanitarian Law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution.
It added that civilians are never deliberately targeted during operations and that measures are always taken to minimise the risk of harm to non-combatants.
The DHQ disclosed that ground troops are continuing clearance and exploitation operations in the area, while advising the public to rely only on information released through official military channels.
It added that any confirmed civilian casualty incidents would be communicated transparently in line with directives on professionalism and accountability in military operations.
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