INVESTIGATION: Civilian Deaths, Injuries and other Untold Stories of the Shiroro Airstrike
When the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) dismissed reports that civilians were killed during a 10 May 2026 air operation in Kusasu and neighbouring communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, it described the claims as false and maintained that only armed bandits were targeted.
A PRNigeria investigation, however, uncovered evidence that contradicts the military’s position that no civilians were killed during the incident. Although this reporter could not access Kusasu because of persistent insecurity and the continued presence of armed groups in the area, interviews with survivors, bereaved families and community members, together with information obtained from Shalom Nursing Home and Maternity in New Zumba, helped reconstruct what happened.
Residents, survivors and bereaved families told PRNigeria that military aircraft struck Kusasu after an earlier bandit attack, killing and injuring civilians who had fled in search of safety. Their descriptions of the airstrike, the patients taken to the hospital, the injuries they sustained and the subsequent deaths of some of them matched the information provided by Mrs Polina Damidami, Chief Nurse and Director of Shalom Nursing Home and Maternity.
Mrs Damidami said police officers visited the hospital shortly after the patients arrived, documented the incident and took photographs before treatment began. Families interviewed by PRNigeria said they paid for treatment themselves and were unaware of any government assistance.
PRNigeria could not independently verify the exact number of those killed because witnesses gave differing casualty figures, while ongoing insecurity made Kusasu inaccessible. Even so, the evidence gathered indicates that civilians sustained blast injuries during the operation and that some later died from those injuries.
One of the survivors, Ezekiel Bala, said the airstrike occurred as some residents began returning to Kusasu after the bandits had withdrawn.
“Everything happened in a flash. Before anyone could understand what was happening, people had already been killed and many others were badly injured. I didn’t even realise I had been wounded until someone pointed to the blood flowing from my arm. It is a day we will never forget,” he said.
His testimony contrasts with the DHQ’s official position on the operation. While residents insist those affected were civilians caught in the aftermath of the bandits’ attack, the military maintained that no civilians were harmed and that the operation successfully neutralised scores of terrorists.
Piecing Together What Happened
Reconstructing the events of 10 May required piecing together eyewitness testimonies, information from Shalom Nursing Home and Maternity, and interviews with bereaved families and community leaders. Between 1 and 3 July 2026, this reporter travelled to Shiroro town and neighbouring New Zumba, where many of those injured in the airstrike were treated at Shalom Nursing Home and Maternity.
By the time of the visit, all the survivors had been discharged. Although PRNigeria was unable to interview every injured person, discussions with those available, together with information provided by the Chief Nurse and Director of Shalom Nursing Home and Maternity and relatives of those who later died, helped reconstruct a detailed picture of the incident and its aftermath.
Residents told PRNigeria that armed bandits first invaded Kusasu and neighbouring communities, forcing villagers to flee. After the attackers withdrew, displaced residents began returning, believing the immediate danger had passed. It was during this period, they said, that military aircraft struck the area.
Community members gave differing accounts of both the timing of the strike and the number of those killed. Some said it occurred around 6 a.m., while others placed it between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Survivors also said there was no organised emergency response after the bombing. Instead, those injured were transported from Kusasu to Shalom Nursing Home and Maternity in New Zumba on motorcycles through difficult and insecure routes.
According to Mrs Damidami, those brought to the hospital were Faith Hassan, Victor Solomon, Dalili Iliya, Saitu Emmanuel, Talatu Ishaya and Auta Bala. She said Auta Bala later died while receiving treatment, while Talatu Ishaya succumbed to her injuries after being discharged. The remaining four survived.
What the Hospital Revealed
Information obtained from Shalom Nursing Home and Maternity provided further details about those treated after the airstrike.
Mrs Damidami said the patients began arriving at the hospital shortly after the bombardment. According to her, the six patients included two children, two elderly women and two middle-aged women.
Mrs Damidami said the hospital immediately notified the police, who later visited the facility to document the incident and take photographs before treatment began.
“The injuries were consistent with blast trauma,” she said. “The patients had multiple lacerations, burns and fragments of explosive materials lodged in different parts of their bodies.”
She estimated that the hospital spent about ₦1.2 million treating the patients, adding that the bills were reduced because many of the affected families could not afford the full cost of treatment. Among the most severe cases, she said, was a woman whose abdomen had been torn open, leaving part of her intestine exposed.
Read Also:
A visiting doctor performed emergency surgery to save her life. Another patient, who was pregnant, sustained burns but did not lose her unborn child. One of the injured children also suffered second-degree burns to the face.
Two Families, Two Losses
For Auta Bala’s family, the days after the airstrike became a desperate struggle to save her life. She was among those taken to Shalom Nursing Home and Maternity with severe blast injuries.
Despite efforts to stabilise her condition, she died while receiving treatment. One of her daughters, who declined to be identified, said the family watched helplessly as her condition deteriorated.
“She was in severe pain. We kept praying she would survive, but she didn’t,” she said. “Her death has left us with emotional pain and financial hardship, and we still live under the constant threat of insecurity in Kusasu.”
Hope briefly returned for Talatu Ishaya’s family when she was discharged after receiving treatment. The 57-year-old returned to Kusasu, and her relatives believed she was on the path to recovery.
But her injuries, particularly those to her head, later worsened. Her 25-year-old son, Enoch Ishaya, said they continued caring for her at home because returning to the hospital was difficult.
“We continued treating her at home in Kusasu before she died. She was badly injured in the head and leg,” he said. He added that her death devastated the family, which had believed she was recovering after she returned home.
Life After the Airstrike
For many of the survivors, escaping the airstrike marked the beginning of another ordeal. After being evacuated to Shalom Nursing Home and Maternity in New Zumba, they faced the daunting task of paying for treatment without external assistance.
Abel Yahaya Habila, whose niece was among those killed, said relatives and other community members contributed money to pay the medical bills of those injured.
He estimated that the community spent close to ₦1 million trying to save them. “The victims received no assistance from either the military authorities or the government,” he said. “Everything was left to the families and the community.”
Thirty-one-year-old Abdullahi Aliyu, also a native of Kusasu, said residents were distressed not only by the tragedy but also by claims that those affected were terrorists rather than civilians.
“We have continued to ask the government to rescue us from bandits,” he said. “Instead, people who witnessed what happened are being told that it never happened.”
Mallama Aisha Shuaibu, who witnessed the incident, rejected the military’s claim that the operation did not harm civilians.
“We ran to save our lives. Instead of pursuing the terrorists, bombs from the military aircraft landed where innocent villagers had taken refuge,” she said.
Mrs Grace Samari, another Kusasu resident who survived the airstrike without injury, also disputed the military’s assertion that residents had been evacuated before the operation.
“We were never evacuated,” she said. “People were still in the community when the aircraft struck.”
Shiroro Was Not an Isolated Incident
For years, the Nigerian military has relied extensively on air power in its operations against insurgents and armed bandits. Although those operations have disrupted armed groups and eliminated many fighters, some have also resulted in civilian deaths and injuries.
The 10 May airstrike in Kusasu has added to a growing list of military operations that have raised concerns about the protection of civilians.
The recurrence of such incidents has prompted repeated calls by rights groups, humanitarian organisations and security experts for improved intelligence gathering, stronger target verification and independent post-strike investigations.
Previous investigations by PRNigeria, humanitarian organisations and other media outlets have documented similar incidents across several states, including Borno, Kaduna, Niger, Zamfara, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa and Nasarawa.
Among the most widely reported cases are the January 2017 bombing of an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Rann, Borno State, where dozens of civilians and humanitarian workers were killed; the 2022 airstrike on Kurebe community in Shiroro Local Government Area; the December 2022 airstrike on Mutumji, Zamfara State; the December 2023 bombing of Tudun Biri community in Kaduna State during a religious gathering; and the April 2026 airstrike on Jilli Market in Yobe State.
Official Position Remains Unchanged
After completing its reporting, PRNigeria contacted the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, to ask whether the military’s promised verification of reports of civilian casualties had produced any new findings.
His response remained unchanged.
“We debunked the information and our position remains the same,” he said. “There is no truth in those online reports. Our investigation has not revealed anything. When we get anything, we will let the press know.”
This investigation was produced as part of the Northwestern Nigeria OSINT Research Fellowship for Countering Violent Narratives, implemented by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), and funded by the European Union.
