An air strike by the Nigerian army has mistakingly killed 7 children and injured 5 others in the Maradi region of Niger Republic.
The governor of the region, Chaibou Aboubacar, revealed this on Sunday while speaking with AFP on the development.
He added that the unfortunate incident happened on Friday, February 11.
According to him, “There was a mistake with the Nigerian strikes on the border that resulted in victims on our territory in the village of Nachade.”
“The victims are 12 children, seven of them dead and five wounded.”
He said that 4 of the children died instantly and three others succumbed to their injuries while being transported to the hospital.
According to the governor, “The parents were attending a ceremony and the children were probably playing when the strikes” hit them.
He added that the planes were very likely targeting “armed bandits” in the border areas, but “missed their target” hitting Nachade instead.
Aboubacar said he visited the children’s graves on Saturday as well as the scene of the bombardment.
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