WARRI, Nigeria — Nigerian warplanes bombed a village near a militant camp and soldiers opened fire with machine guns, killing as many as 150 people, human rights activists and witnesses said yesterday.

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Oghebejabor Ikim, national coordinator for the Forum of Justice and Human Rights Defense, said civilians have suffered a heavy toll in the military operation that began Wednesday.

He said as many as 150 had died around the village of Ayakoromo, though he could only offer a list of 14 names of those dead who have been identified.

Many people remained in hiding among in the region’s winding creeks, Ikim said.

The attacks on a village in the Niger Delta continued yesterday as the military tried to kill or capture a militant called John Togo who runs the camps and who officials said gave up on a government amnesty program.

The amnesty program for militants brought an uneasy calm to a region vital to US oil supplies.

In a statement issued late yesterday, a military spokesman said any civilian building targeted by soldiers had been used by militants as cover, meaning they became a military target.