No fewer than 30 people are feared killed after a Nigerian Air Force airstrike struck a popular weekly market at Jilli village, located along the border between Borno and Yobe states, on Saturday evening.

The incident occurred around 4:00 p.m. at the busy Jilli Market, which serves communities in Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State and Geidam in Yobe State. Eyewitnesses reported that explosions from fighter jets rocked the trading centre while commercial activities were at their peak, sending traders and residents fleeing in panic.

A councillor in the area, Lawan Zannah, confirmed the casualty figures in a telephone interview on Sunday. “From the information available to us, it was an airstrike. Over 30 people have been confirmed dead, and more than 20 were hospitalised,” he said.

One eyewitness gave a higher toll, stating, “I counted 56 corpses myself, more bodies are still being recovered.”

The market regularly attracts traders from several adjoining communities, including Gubio, Chiweram, Benisheikh, Gurokayeya, and Geidam. Local sources said insurgents had visited the market earlier to collect levies from traders and obtain supplies. The airstrike was part of a military operation targeting these groups, but the bombs reportedly hit the crowded civilian market instead.

Injured victims are receiving treatment at the Geidam General Hospital in Yobe State. The use of heavy ordnance in a civilian trading area has caused significant casualties, witnesses said.

The Special Adviser to the Yobe State Governor on Security Matters, Brigadier General Abdulsalam Dahiru (retd.), confirmed the incident on Sunday but clarified that Jilli village falls within Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State.

As of Sunday, the Nigerian Air Force had yet to issue an official statement on the incident. NAF officials have not commented on the reported error.