At least 200 people are feared dead after Nigerian military jets struck a packed weekly market in the northeast of the country on Saturday night, with the strike occurring as troops pursued Islamist militants in the area. The attack hit Jilli Market, a busy trading post situated along the border between Yobe and Borno states — a region already scarred by more than 15 years of armed insurgency.
Lawan Zanna Nur Geidam, the councillor and traditional head of Fuchimeram ward in Yobe's Geidam district, confirmed the scale of the tragedy. 'It's a very devastating incident at Jilli Market. As I'm speaking to you, over 200 people have lost their lives from the air strike at the market,' he said by telephone. Three other residents and an official from an international humanitarian agency separately confirmed both the strike and its likely death toll.
