Nigeria's Defence Headquarters on Monday denied reports of civilian deaths from airstrikes on suspected bandits in ​the northern Niger state, saying the strikes were intelligence-led ‌and hit only militant targets.

Defence spokesperson Major-General Michael Onoja said drone strikes carried out overnight between May 9 and 10 targeted the villages ​of Katerma, Bokko, Kusasu and Kuduru in the Shiroro ​district after intelligence indicated that armed gangs — known ⁠locally as bandits — were gathering to plan attacks.

The denial came ​in response to reports in Nigerian media alleging civilian casualties, ​underscoring longstanding concerns about the impact on local communities of airstrikes in Nigeria's conflict zones.

Nigerian security forces are battling banditry in the northwest and ​a 17-year Islamist insurgency in the northeast.

Last month, around 200 ​people were killed after military jets struck a village market while pursuing ‌Islamist ⁠militants in the northeast, local residents told Reuters.

In the latest airstrikes, Onoja said at least 70 suspected bandits were killed in Kusasu alone. Post-strike intelligence showed surviving fighters regrouping, with more ​than 200 ​motorcycles moving toward ⁠nearby Zango village, he added.

"The strikes were precisely targeted at identified terrorist enclaves and achieved ​their intended military objectives," Onoja said, adding that ​residents ⁠had relocated to another village beforehand, limiting the likelihood of civilian presence.

He didn't say whether civilians were given warning of strikes.

The ⁠military ​has ordered field units to investigate any ​claims of civilian harm, Onoja said.