At least 200 killed in military airstrikes in northeast Nigeria

Nigerian military aircraft struck Yobe state targeting Boko Haram militants. Amnesty International reports over 100 dead; local sources put the combined toll of dead and wounded at 200.

Location  Yobe State, Northeast Nigeria

Incident date  Saturday, April 12, 2026

Source  AFP / Amnesty International

Key facts

• Dead (Amnesty)More than 100 confirmed

• Wounded At least 35 seriously injured

• Local estimate 200 dead and wounded combined

• Military response No comment as of publication

• Target Boko Haram jihadists

• Insurgency duration17 years (since 2009 uprising)

Nigerian military aircraft carried out strikes on Yobe state in the country's northeast on Saturday, killing at least 100 people according to Amnesty International, which also reported 35 seriously wounded. A local chief gave a combined figure of 200 dead and wounded.

Nigeria's military had not responded to a query from AFP at the time of publication. The strikes were reportedly aimed at Boko Haram jihadists operating in the region.

Nigeria has been fighting a jihadist insurgency for 17 years, since Boko Haram's 2009 uprising. The conflict has since produced powerful splinter groups, most notably Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). While the insurgency is concentrated in the northeast, jihadist activity has expanded into western Nigeria, where armed gangs known as "bandits" have raided villages and extorted farmers and miners.

Africa's most populous nation continues to face overlapping security threats across multiple regions, with no clear timeline for resolution of the northeastern insurgency.