Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum said on Sunday that the Jilli market in Gubio local government—where an air force raid reportedly killed civilians—was shut five years ago.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Dauda Iliya, Zulum called Jilli market a well-known supply point for insurgents.
“I’ve been fully briefed on the airstrike by the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai on Jilli market, a border town between Borno and Yobe states. Let me state clearly: the Borno State Government closed both Jilli and Gazabure markets five years ago,” the governor said.
“I’m talking constantly with the Yobe State Government and the military leadership about the incident,” he added.
Zulum stressed that before any community is resettled or any market reopened in former conflict zones, his administration always clears the move with the military and other security services.
He again promised to protect law-abiding residents and to keep cooperating with security agencies to restore peace statewide.
“The governor urges citizens to stay alert and share reliable information that could help ongoing operations,” Iliya said.
Recall OBSERVERS TIMES Online earlier reported that no fewer than 30 people were feared dead after a military jet struck the weekly market in Jilli village on Saturday evening.
The attack, carried out on 11 April 2026 by the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI in coordination with the Nigerian Army, followed an earlier strike that had destroyed terrorist positions in the area.
