On 3 December 2023, residents of Tudun Biri village in northwest Nigeria assembled in a field to celebrate a Muslim holiday. A military drone, conducting aerial surveillance, mistakenly targeted the gathering, perceiving their movements to mirror those of ‘terrorists’. Over 120 civilians, including children, were killed, Amnesty International reported.
Following the strike, the Nigerian military issued two conflicting explanations. Initially admitting that the strike was a mistake, it later claimed that suspected members of armed groups, known locally as ‘bandits’, had concealed themselves among civilians. These loosely organized militias have terrorized Kaduna state – where Tudun Biri is located – and others, for over a decade, pillaging villages on motorcycles and kidnapping people for ransom. Over $18 million was paid to kidnappers between 2011 and 2020.
