On Sunday, Nigerian military jets bombed a crowded market in Zamfara. At least 100 people were killed, according to Amnesty International. The military says it saw no civilians.

This is now happening monthly.

In April, a similar airstrike hit Jilli market, on the Borno-Yobe border. Amnesty said approximately 200 people died. The military opened a probe. On Sunday, jets hit Tumfa market in Zurmi, Zamfara. Amnesty said at least 100 died. Local media reported 117. Dozens were taken to hospitals in Zurmi and Shinkafi. Many of those killed were women and girls.

The military confirmed it conducted an operation in the Tumfa area. Defence spokesperson Major-General Michael Onoja said the target was a "confirmed high-level gathering" of militant leaders. He said the strike was intelligence-led. He said the casualty figures circulating in the media were speculative, unverified, and inconsistent with official assessments. "No credible, substantiated evidence of civilian casualties has been established," he said.

Witnesses described something different. Military aircraft were seen circling the market at midday. They left. About two hours later they returned and struck while the market was full of people. A resident of Zurmi town, about seven kilometres away, estimated 117 dead. He said the market was under bandit control. He said everyone who went there knew it. He also said the bombing was visible from where he stood.

Tumfa and many communities in Zurmi local government have been under armed group control for years. The state is absent. Bandits function as the de facto authority. The people who live there trade with them because there's no alternative. When the military arrives and sees a gathering, the intelligence says terrorists. What the intelligence may not capture is that the women selling millet and tofu aren't fighters.

The army's position after the Jilli strike was similar. Investigation announced. Findings not yet published.

There are young girls from Zamfara who went to sell food on Sunday morning and didn't come home. Their names aren't in any of the reports.