20th February, 2022
Nigerian military authorities have opened an investigation into an air raid in the village of Nachadé in the region of Maradi, Niger Republic, on Friday.
Seven children were among the 12 killed.
Five children were also wounded in the raid just some kilometres from the Nigerian border.
The governor of Maradi, Chaibou Aboubacar state television and an aid agency claimed the raid was carried out by Nigerian air force.
But a spokesman of the Defence Headquarters denied the claim.
“As a matter of policy, the Nigerian Air Force does not make any incursions into areas outside Nigeria’s territorial boundaries. That’s our policy,” Major General Jimmy Akpor said.
Akpor is Nigeria’s Director of Defence Information.
He said an investigation was underway.
Maradi governor Aboubacar, did not say how he knew that Nigerian forces carried out the attack.
Niger’s state television also said it was carried out by Nigerian forces, without providing evidence.
Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, which cared for some of the wounded, confirmed the strike.
It said that 12 people died, including four children.
Local inhabitants told MSF that Nigerian forces were pursuing targets who had fled a border town.
The specific reason for the strike was not clear.
It occurred in a region where banditry is common and where both governments fear that Islamist insurgents linked to Islamic State are gaining ground.