Jilli airstrike: No innocent victims —Defence Minister

By Henry Ojelu & Deborah Oladeji

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, has defended the controversial airstrike on Jilli in Borno State, insisting that those killed in the operation were not innocent civilians but individuals actively supporting insurgents.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV yesterday, following a high-level security meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu, Musa maintained that the strike was based on credible intelligence and targeted a known hub for terrorist logistics and supplies.

He said: “There was no innocent person there. Anybody in that location knew what they were doing. They were there for business with terrorists.”

The airstrike, which has drawn criticism amid reports of civilian casualties, has sparked renewed debate over Nigeria’s counterinsurgency tactics and the delicate balance between military necessity and civilian protection.

But Musa dismissed suggestions of operational error or faulty intelligence, insisting that the military acted on verified information and struck at the right time.

“We moved based on intelligence, we identified the location, and we hit the target. It was a deliberate operation,” he said.

According to him, the Jilli area had long been designated a no-go zone due to its use by insurgents and their collaborators. He explained that the location served as a marketplace where individuals supplied food, fuel, and materials to terrorist groups operating in the region.

“That place is not a normal civilian market,” Musa stated. “It is a point where terrorists meet with those who support them—people who bring in supplies, including items used to sustain their operations.” he said.

He argued that economic incentives have driven individuals into such activities, noting that traders could make significant profits by selling goods to insurgents in remote areas.

“If you take a bag of rice there, you can sell it for as much as N150,000. The attraction is huge. People go there deliberately to make money, fully aware of who they are dealing with,” he said.

Musa stressed that individuals who knowingly provide logistics or financial support to insurgents cannot be classified as innocent civilians under the laws of armed conflict.

“He who supports a terrorist is one of them,” he declared. “Your actions enable them to survive, to fight, and to kill others. That makes you part of the system.”

The Defence Minister acknowledged that the distinction between civilians and combatants can be complex in asymmetric warfare but insisted that the military remains careful in its targeting decisions.

He, however, drew a clear line between those coerced into cooperation and those who willingly engage with insurgents for profit.

“There are people who are forced, who are victims themselves—that is different,” Musa said. “But those who willingly go into these areas to trade with terrorists are not innocent. They made that choice.”

Reports following the strike suggested that dozens of people may have been killed, raising concerns among rights groups and local communities. However, Musa questioned the credibility of such claims, noting the absence of verifiable evidence.

“Did anybody show pictures? Did anyone confirm those numbers?” he asked, casting doubt on casualty figures circulating in the media.

He also referenced feedback from local authorities, including regional leaders familiar with the area, to support his position that Jilli was not a conventional civilian settlement.

“Anybody who knows that area understands what it represents. It had been evacuated. So what were people doing there?” he queried.

Musa further argued that continued collaboration between civilians and insurgents is a major factor prolonging the conflict in the North-East, stressing that cutting off such support networks would significantly weaken terrorist groups.

“These logisticians are the ones sustaining them. Without them, the terrorists cannot operate,” he said. “If Nigerians collectively refuse to support these groups, this war can end much faster.”

The Defence Minister also warned that individuals who expose themselves by engaging with insurgents risk being caught in military operations.

“If you make yourself available in that environment, you become part of the threat landscape,” he said.

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